Every now and then, Sutherland hosts prominent groups of Utahns to help provide us with input and feedback about our work. On one occasion we asked one group what they felt was right with Utah – or what they liked about Utah.
One gentleman, without hesitation, chimed in that he liked Utahns’ strong sense of purpose in terms of seeing themselves as contributors to the world. Another member of the group, in this case an actual outsider from Illinois, said he liked the fact that Utah is a child-rich state. Another person cited our open space and rural communities. One woman added that she appreciates our values-driven approach to life. Still another mentioned our strong work ethic and our commitment to higher education (meaning that parents take a college education seriously).
Interestingly, the outsider spoke up again to include the artistic talent within the state. He said, “I’ve just been overwhelmed by the number of talented young people…You’ve almost got too much of it because there are not enough audiences for them to perform in front of.” Another woman raised the idea of Utah’s multi-lingual concentration as a plus. She observed that BYU teaches more languages than Harvard University, 37 to 32. Whereupon, another member of the group said something that sounded peculiar at the time. He said, “Utah is surprisingly cosmopolitan…people here know the world, I think more than in most states.”
The group discussion took a short detour from there, some seeing the point, others raising a point about Utah’s lack of diversity. But I’ll come back to that. Here are my thoughts about what is right with Utah.
I like that Utah has four distinct seasons. I love spring and fall and I have to admit that I look forward to summer and winter.
I, too, like the strong community feel about Utah. I’m constantly amazed at how many vibrant communities Utah has. I really do feel a sense of awe as I drive out of a canyon into a valley and look down on the sea of homes and businesses that buzz with activity.
I’m greatly impressed that Utahns still have lots of babies. The outsider’s comment about Utah still being child-rich is both accurate and uses the appropriate term. Being “child-rich” is important to any lasting economy.
Of course, I also like the fact that Utah is largely religious. Religious values hold people together, even people of different faiths. The strong religious sense here also allows many people struggling with their faith to enjoy that struggle without getting into too much trouble in their lives.
And I like the fact that our State Legislature works within a context of freedom. It’s not easy for 104 persons to work in behalf of nearly three million of their neighbors. Government can easily get away from its primary role and purpose under these conditions, but our state legislators are able to maintain their focus and benefit Utah by keeping their sense of context – in this case, our freedom. While any number of factions within the nearly three million people in the state will clamor for government to do all sorts of things, I’ve found these 104 legislators to be largely steadfast in protecting the roots of freedom in Utah.
Now, let me return to a previous point. I, too, like the fact that Utah is a cosmopolitan state. Many of our people leave the state for periods of time and almost always end up coming home. I would agree with another member of the group that being cosmopolitan isn’t necessarily diversity. But I don’t care for what “diversity” now means anyway. But I do appreciate the sense of “pluralism” that being cosmopolitan brings us.
Where diversity means to me that values are in conflict, pluralism means to me that even though we’re all different our values are largely the same. And for me anyway, that’s one great measure of a free people and freedom in general. Utah’s homogenous population combined with broad exposure to the world creates a wonderful respect for both other people and unchanging, universal values for a free society.
That’s what I like about Utah. How about you?
I’m Paul Mero. Thanks for listening.
