Voices from the Heart of the Land: Rural Stories that Inspire Community

Character and Characters

RURAL STORIES THAT INSPIRE COMMUNITY 113 4 CHARACTER AND CHARACTERS VOICES FROM THE HEART OF THE LAND 114 Character and Characters “It used to be that people talked about individuals, their character, what you could expect out of this person, what you could expect out of that person. Integrity was vital, honesty was vital; the commitment to man’s freedom was vital.” — Richard Cates Sr. “We had so many characters years ago that were real people, and we don’t have so many anymore. It was the environment that made these characters.” — Edward Klessig What kind of individuals settled the townships of America? Were they different from many of us today? Did they have different desires, abilities, weaknesses, or immunities ? What part did character play in making the frontier experiment a success? And how did the experiment shape their characters? This final chapter tells stories of integrity, commitment, humility, and hope — the values our narrators prized, struggled to uphold, and left as a legacy for succeeding generations. Margret and Edward Klessig under the walnut tree, Saxon Homestead Farm, Cleveland, WI, 2003 RURAL STORIES THAT INSPIRE COMMUNITY 115 Forging a life of relative self-sufficiency on the fringes of wilderness was no easy task. As we explored in the previous chapter, one of the most important tools for survival was found in the strength of community. “You can’t go it alone” was an early and frequent lesson. Community supplied the extra muscle when needed and made quick work of long, arduous tasks. The “critical mass”of community allowed for the support and proliferation of specialized skills, such as milling and cheese making. And beyond the obvious, physical advantages of many hands laid on, community offered safety, security, and the social and psychological benefits of companionship and emotional sustenance. But in order to function, a community must ask that its members meet certain requirements . They must recognize and adhere to rules, sometimes codified, most often unspoken yet assumed. These rules speak to expectations about the behavior of the community’s members. Are they honest? Reliable? Is their word trustworthy? Do they work hard and see a job through? Are they determined to “stay the course” in times of adversity? All these were important individual characteristics that the community needed to count on, because there was lots of work to do and many challenges to meet; there wasn’t much slack for accommodating those who couldn’t be trusted. When present, trust is often invisible — an assumed honorable quid pro quo. But when trust is lacking, the fabric of society is tenuous. And indeed, as our “voices” remind us, there is nothing which defined character in the township more fully than integrity and the bond of one’s word. In the townships, where “if you don’t do it, it doesn’t get done,” character also came to be defined in part by the “weight” a person could pull; that is, the commitment he or she was prepared to lend to the necessary task at hand. Over-accomplishment, honest shortcomings, and most certainly arrogance and a shirking of responsibility did not go unnoticed. The virtue of work was passed along in habit, practice, and story. VOICES FROM THE HEART OF THE LAND 116 Character and Characters To some degree, even personality traits became a part of this social trust. For folks whose work was often on public display along the town road — the look of the land and the health of the cattle — and who depended on each other through thick and thin, humor and humility didn’t often get too far separated. A sense of humor helped others get through vexing situations with equanimity and made social gatherings more enjoyable. Humility and modesty helped keep things in proportion and sustain social harmony. Individuals needed resiliency, a “thick hide” to roll with the punches. And an abiding faith and hope helped see them through even the worst of adversities. All of these personal characteristics contributed to the survival and success of the community, and where they were not absolutely required, they were encouraged and held in high esteem. Here, then, are examples of how our narrators regarded the many manifestations of “character” that helped sustain them as a society. Love of family and friends, a tenacity for living (hope) and reflections on how a good life is truly defined are the...