In Answer to VERLYN KLINKENBORG's essay in the NY times Today
Answer to VERLYN KLINKENBORG's essay "Keeping Iowa's Young Folks at
Home After They've Seen Minnesota" in the NY times Today
Verlyn, who left Iowa some time ago, has it right in terms of the main
theme of his discussion today... The Iowa economy is sadly focussed on
big agricultural farms, and the devil take the downwindmost.
However, the persistent idea that Iowa is a culture free zone is
delusional, along with most cliches... New York City as a high
pressure environment devoid of human compassion, California as a
superficial veneer just begging for an earthquake, or Mexico as
Tijuana...
The fact is that Iowa, as always, has charms that are immeasurably
rich, uniquely divine, and as as lovely as any spot on the globe, if
you know where and how to look...
And despite the apparent ascendency of Minneapolis in Verlyn's mind,
and the a priori assumption among many urbanites of the superiority of
any city environment over the rural, those of us who have experienced
both can see tradeoffs in both worlds.
It's true that our access to really great opera requires serious
travel. And good ballet in Iowa requires a visitation from a traveling
troupe... the big one this year is Les Ballet Trockadero de Monte
Carlo (Hancher Aud., Iowa City, this month), plus of course the
Joffrey doing the Nutcracker (every year....), but we DO have
broadband, TiVO, WI-FI, and even the occasional Blueberry...
In addition, I'll bet that when you left the house today, you
remembered to lock the door... Unlike at my house, where we never
lock up during the day... (I don't actually have the key for my house.
My wife has one, I think).
I also doubt that when you walked around the block (if you can), you
may have seen another person... Which may not always happen where I
am.
And something tells me that the rent on your your 1000 square foot two
bedroom apartment with a sunny east exposure, that takes up the entire
first floor wasn't $600 last month... (with the two car garage thrown
in for another $30).
Oh, and by the way, within three blocks of our place there are three
Thai restaurants, three Indian, one Mexican, a French sidewalk cafe,
two pastry shops, and 12 art galleries.... (but no sushi, I know...
except at the Farmers market - one block away - on Wednesday and
Saturday)
Sound like New York? But no, it's Fairfield, Iowa.
Iowa ranks #51 in measures of stress, and has the highest literacy
rate in the nation. Yet even though there probably is a brain drain
in some parts of the state, there are a few entrepreneurs in my town
doing some interesting things, including oil brokerages, laser stone
cutting, online posters affiliate marketing, vision improvement
seminars, Cold Fusion web business design and hosting, and the
occasional oddity, like the panty of the month website...
As it turns out, creativity, insight, beauty and even significance are
not confined to urban areas, and despite the prevalence of the
Steinberg mind map in New York or elsewhere... every area on earth
has it's charm, it's appeal, and it's deep, vital, constant connection
to the continually manifesting field of infinite silence... even Iowa.
No matter where you are standing on the globe, you are on the top of
the world. It's just that in Iowa you can occasionally find yourself
driving down the freeway and not see another car or a single human
from horizon to horizon.... and feel like you own the place, at least
in terms of providing the only visible human presence.
