Recently my sister Linda shared with me a wonderful article by Paul Harvey, whom some of us will remember as a wise and interesting radio talk show host – much along the lines of today’s Rush Limbaugh. The title of the article is “Dirt Roads” – a fact of life also for some of us growing up. This is good enough that I will take two week’s article space to share it – this is part one.
What is mainly wrong with society today is that too many dirt roads have been paved. There’s not a problem in America today – crime, drugs, education, divorce, delinquency – that wouldn’t be remedied if we just had more dirt roads, because dirt roads give character.
People who live at the end of dirt roads learn early on that life is a bumpy ride – that it can sometimes jar you right down to your teeth, but it’s worth it – if at the end is home, a living spouse, happy kids, and a dog.
We wouldn’t have near the trouble with our educational system if our kids got their exercise walking a dirt road with other kids from whom they learn how to get along.
There was less crime in our streets before they were paved. Criminals didn’t walk two dusty miles to rob or rape – if they knew they’d be welcomed by five barking dogs and a double-barrel shotgun. And there were no drive-by shootings.
Our values were better when our roads were worse! People did not worship their cars more than their kids and motorists were more courteous. They didn’t tailgate by riding the bumper, or the guy in front would choke you with dust and bust your windshield with rocks. Dirt roads taught patience.
More on dirt roads next time. Maybe this week, we can find any dirt roads that still exist in Clarke County!
