By Staff
Our View
Well said, Mr. Watkins. A little more pride could go a long way.
And I'm not talking about the saying, "pride goeth before a fall."
That's the saying, anyway, and it's true. But there's always more to it. There is, of course, a haughty pride that leads to complacency and decline.
But pride can also be a motivator. Pride can keep you going even when you could have given up and no one would have blamed you for doing it.
Pride can make you reach down and find inspiration and creativity; find new solutions to problems.
Surely, pride can also make stay the course when you should change, and pride can make you miss problems right under your nose.
But when council member John Watkins talked about pride at Monday afternoon's city council meeting. He was talking about pride in all its positive aspects.
Watkins rightly said, government can't do everything to keep Atmore clean and beautiful. At some point, it takes the residents who live and work here every day to take pride in the appearance of their own homes and of their town in general.
At some point it comes down to the choices, actions and responsibilities we as individuals take upon ourselves.
Are you going to let a junked car sit in front of your house, let the grass get knee-high and not bother picking up around yourself?
Or, are you going to take a little bit of pride and say, I won't let my yard, home or businesses appearance reflect badly upon me.
As Watkins said, "It doesn't cost much to buy a bucket of paint and a two-dollar paint brush."
We could all stand to take a little more pride in the appearance of our town.