A wise man once said when he heard complaints about the government, “Son, we are the government.” What’s truly a shame is when those in power at any level mistake “we” for “you” or “I.” Leadership is not about taking ownership of the credit while assigning ownership of the problem to someone else. In a small community, there simply isn’t much room for that kind of thinking because the same people paying the bill are often the ones helping solve the problem.
Residents in a community like Gober, Texas, have something they can contribute during a water crisis. Whether that means the countless people who voluntarily conserved water to reduce long-term costs or those who delivered meals to the people from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice when they hauled water at no charge outside of the cost of the water itself, people stepped up. Local citizens sourced a trailer and used their own truck to transport water at a reduced cost—a price that simply covered the expense involved. Multiple water pumps were purchased with private funds to help keep the holding tanks full. These are just a few of the ways that community members stepped up when needed.
Not only did Gober residents show up to help, but their neighbors did also. State Representative Shelley Luther provided tremendous support by securing water haulers from TDCJ, corresponding with TCEQ regarding emergency waivers, and being present with her constituents in their time of need. Neighboring water districts provided potential solutions and a cheaper and closer source of water. They understood that the problem was everyone’s problem, and their neighbors came first. Some call it country values, but people like these don’t know any different.
Rural Texas understands something on a level perhaps better than anywhere else. It understands that choices have a price that is ultimately their own to pay, that almost anything can be accomplished when people pull in the same direction, just because you’re rural doesn’t mean you’re incompetent, and that when asked to step up, people step up for as long and as often as needed. To think otherwise would severely underestimate the resolve of the members of these communities, no matter how long they have lived there.
Texas is a place full of people who have the right stuff—you just can’t always see them from the road.
