Turn Down the Noise
Lately, it seems like there’s a lot of noise around Big Canoe.
💬 Social media threads, group chats, and the occasional parking-lot debate can all sound louder than they really are. The volume goes up, the temperature rises, and before long, we can lose sight of what really matters — this incredible community we all call home.
🌄 Big Canoe isn’t perfect, but it’s pretty close. We wake up every day surrounded by mountains, lakes, forests, and wildlife that people drive hours just to experience. We have neighbors who volunteer their time, committees that dig into details most communities ignore, and staff who care deeply about what they do.
But somewhere along the way, a few loud voices can drown out the quiet truth: most people here simply want to enjoy life in a beautiful place and see their community managed responsibly. The constant buzz of negativity — online or otherwise — can make it feel like Big Canoe is divided, when in fact, most of us agree on far more than we disagree about.
📱 Part of what’s changed is the way we communicate.
A dozen years ago, before Facebook groups and neighborhood pages became so common, most of this chatter didn’t carry the same weight. You’d hear a concern over a cup of coffee or at a community meeting, and it could be discussed, clarified, and often resolved face-to-face. Now, one post or comment can travel far and fast — sometimes missing the facts or tone that would be obvious in person. Social media has connected us, but it’s also amplified the noise.
🔥 A friend — and fellow candidate for the POA Board — Bill Thurber recently said something that really stuck with me: “The best way to put out a fire is to starve it of oxygen.” The same applies here. Not every post deserves a reply. Not every rumor needs to be fueled. When we stop feeding the unhelpful noise, it burns itself out — and what’s left is room for genuine conversation and understanding.
Sometimes, the best thing we can do is turn down the noise.
💡 Pause before reacting.
💬 Ask before assuming.
🤝 Listen before judging.
Constructive conversation builds community; outrage rarely does.
🗣️ And just to be clear — don’t think I don’t read this stuff, because I do. I want to know what’s on people’s minds. But I will not comment regarding the election on any of the unofficial neighborhood Facebook pages. That’s not me avoiding engagement; it’s me honoring the commitment I made under the official election guidelines. If you ever want to talk directly, my contact information is on my website, and I’m always glad to listen.
I’m grateful to live in a place where neighbors still wave when they pass by, where volunteers give countless hours behind the scenes, and where we can disagree respectfully and still share a drink at the new Clubhouse afterward.
🍃 So if the chatter online ever feels too loud — take a walk, hit a trail, drop a kayak in the lake, or just sit on your porch and listen to the wind through the trees. That’s the real Big Canoe. The rest is just noise.
See you around the neighborhood,
Roger
