[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by MandoMan

I read The NY Times daily, but I usually don’t read the author of this opinion piece because I disagree with her left wing politics and get annoyed. In general, however, this piece is pretty accurate. If you read it with an open mind and actually live here, you would probably think the same. Here are a couple thought-provoking paragraphs:

“But the parades and games and clubs, most definitely the political ones, also give people a sense of belonging and purpose — of still being able to make a difference. Whatever their ideological persuasion, residents are constantly reminded that civic engagement matters. That they matter. Like at all retirement communities, the social life at the Villages tackles head-on the scourges of isolation, despair and loneliness that are eating away at so many Americans as the nation’s social fabric frays. In a culture that can feel as though it is leaving seniors behind, the Villages is designed to bring people together. And despite the at times harrowing political warfare, the community largely succeeds in doing so — even if it isn’t always easy.”

“Surrounded by people at a similar life stage, many with similar values, Villagers can maintain a distance from the demographic and cultural changes reshaping the nation and from many of its more intractable problems. Crime, inequality, homelessness, climate change, racial strife, the high cost of child care and college — these are challenges for other communities to grapple with. Other generations even. Big Government is eyed with skepticism, even as the aging populace commands an increasingly larger chunk of the federal budget for programs such as Social Security and Medicare. So long as taxes stay low and the golf courses stay open, Villagers can stay focused on living the dream. They have earned this retreat, dammit. The escapism is the point. And escapism, by definition, means separating oneself from unsettling trends and people.”

These are reasons I love it here.

We can't opt out of world problems. Because when we decide to vote, that has an influence on the direction of the world. People CAN ignore world problems, but that will not make them go away.