As we write this, we’re nearing the end of another hot, dry summer. When everything is so thirsty, it’s hard to remember that rainy, grey fall days are just around the corner. We’re sure we’re not the only ones who wish rainwater could be stored when plentiful for use during those parched summer months.
The Comox Valley Regional District recently added (but has yet to implement) a new water restriction level “in response to the increasing frequency and severity of drought conditions and the need to conserve our community’s water supply.” But community members need to start thinking about creative, proactive ways to collect, protect, and respect our water sources. We’ve got a lot of very smart people in this valley—hopefully some of you are already on the case.
The theme of this issue is Ripple. Our Youth Valley writer, Lexi Kapalka, writes about the “ripple effect” and how “a single, small action can trigger a chain of reactions expanding outward.”
This is a common fictional theme. As fans of the late Czech-French author Milan Kundera, we’ve both always liked the idea of the “six fortuities” that brought together Tomas and Tereza, the lovers in Milan Kundera’s The Unbearable Lightness of Being. If any one of those six seemingly insignificant events hadn’t happened, they would never have met. Then there’s Sliding Doors, the film where Gwyneth Paltrow’s character either catches or misses a train, sending her life down two entirely different paths.
Real life, of course, has no omniscient narrator. Most of us simply try to do the right thing and hope our actions leave the world a little better than we found it. As Kapalka writes, “the word ‘ripple’ embodies the lasting impact we have on the world around us.”
One way everyone can have a lasting effect on the world—or at least on our community—is by voting. Each vote may feel like a tiny ripple in a vast ocean, but millions of ripples can become an unstoppable force.
In October, voters in Comox, Courtenay, Cumberland and the Comox Valley Regional District go to the polls. By the time this issue comes out, we’ll know who’s campaigning to lead our communities for the next four years. Let’s be ready to question them on tough issues like water conservation, wildfire preparedness, affordable housing, development pressure, homelessness, infrastructure, and more. We need people who can tackle these challenges with intelligence, persistence, common sense, and compassion.
Before you vote, take a close look at who’s running and listen to what they have to say. Will they consider all sides of an issue before making a decision? Will they listen to creative ideas, even when those ideas challenge conventional thinking? Will they act boldly when the moment demands it?
Those qualities matter because leadership doesn’t happen in isolation. One decision influences the next. One policy affects thousands of lives. One vote helps determine who gets to make those decisions.
A ripple starts small. So does change. The choices we make—where we put our time, how we use our resources, who we support and, ultimately, how we vote—travel farther than we can see. Let’s make our ripples count. Let’s choose leaders who understand that every action sends something outward, and who will use their influence to create waves that strengthen our community.
