Perceptions and (my) Reality

August 1 marked the second anniversary of my appointment as a pastor in New Castle, Lawrence County.  I now begin my third year "up north."  To my friends in Pittsburgh, I might as well be in Nunavut or the Yukon in Canada, I am so far north.  But as the weeks turn into months, the 60 or so miles of interstate highway get shorter, and the hour-long trip for picnics, diocesan meetings or a day off becomes more tolerable.

One thing however which friends and acquaintances remark to me, is how dangerous Lawrence County it.  They tell me there "always" seems to be something bad on the TV news happening in Lawrence County.  I tested this out by looking back at the files of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and WTAE-TV.  Here are the major stories of the past few months to come out of Lawrence County:

• Body found in Kino Quarry
• Body of a person drowned in Slippery Rock Creek
• Tornado in New Beaver Township last month
• Man arrested for possession of child pornography in Ellwood City
• Several fatal auto crashes, including the tragic death of 15 year old Shane McQueston in January
• The Valley View Casino on Route 422 that has encountered many detours to being built
• A mobile home fire that killed two people
• The tragic death of Shenango Township officer Jerry McCarthy in May
• Lots and lots of drug arrests

Since I rarely watch local television news, I don't see these stories.  Given the propensity of TV news to put only the bad news on the air ("if it bleeds it leads") I can understand my friends's perception of Lawrence County.   What they know is what they see and hear on TV.

Perhaps I am just impervious to such bad news.  I have lived in some crime-ridden neighborhoods (McKeesport, North Side, Mt. Oliver, Beltzhoover) and these same realities occur there also.

Perhaps it is that "the news media" dislike good news.  You seldom see stories about the valedictorian of the local high schools, the generous volunteers among our senior citizens, feel-good events like our just-completed and very successful (and no-crime) St. Vitus Big Festival, the hard work and practices by local athletes, the ordinary grind of police officers, accountants, teachers, shop owners, baby-sitters.

Perhaps it is that our ears and memories only listen to bad news.  I have heard other priests say this, and I can certainly relate:  You can receive ten or twenty or thirty compliments about a sermon, but the only thing you remember is if one person comes up to you and says his time was wasted by such a dumb talk.  His criticism rankles and angers and hurts far in excess of the many compliments (for the same sermon!).

What it comes down to is that my perception of life in Lawrence County is very, very different than what my friends hear (thankfully, only seldom) on the airwaves and on the internet.  I do not live in fear of car-jacking or attempted murder as I drive the streets of New Castle or the surrounding townships.  Neither, do I suspect, do my parishioners or neighbors.  Yes, there are drugs in our community, and they tear families apart and harm young lives.  Yes, there are car accidents and homicides and house fires and wrenching poverty.  But this is not my/our daily experience of life.

One person's perception is not my reality.