Aspire to your better angels; we’re all in this together
Three years ago, when my wife and I decided to move to Taos from New England, we chose to do so with eyes wide open. Although entranced by the gorgeous sunsets, friendly people and exquisite food, she and I desired a realistic appraisal of the community where we were perhaps going to spend the rest of our lives. There was no intention of being part-time residents and the cliché of Taos being a “playground of the rich” ran counter to our personal values. We recognized Taos as an old, diverse and unique culture and vowed to respect it as such.
By moving here, she and I would be leaving behind a total of 70 years in Massachusetts along with all our family members, an extensive circle of friends and livelihoods. But like others before us, we felt called to be in Taos, a calling that began a decade ago when we spent our honeymoon here. After hemming and hawing for seven years, it became apparent that our intellect would not work to influence the decision to relocate. There were as many logical reasons not to come here as there were to do so.
Like any good Taoseño, during our next visit to New Mexico, we asked the spirits to send us a sign. They responded with so many – one of which still causes our spines to tingle whenever it’s recalled — that we begged them to stop. A call was placed to a local Realtor the next day. Upon returning home to Greenfield, Massachusetts, she and I walked in the door at 2 a.m. and immediately began to pack boxes.
Over the past years, we have heard from others who also answered a call to be in Taos. Nobody did so casually. I’m a fairly grounded individual, not given to New Age nonsense, but I believe in such forces. As do others. When the building inspector came to our new house in Seco, he said, “I can tell the spirits want you to live here.” Building inspectors in Massachusetts don’t talk that way and, most likely, never will.
We had already known that something other than surface appearances was bringing us to Taos. Since our arrival, many heartfelt friendships have been offered to us across the spectrum of the Taos population. Their kindness has reinforced a commitment to contribute to all facets of our new community.
By community, I don’t separate them into ethnic enclaves. We’re all in this together. That Taos County can encompass a vital mix of Indian, Hispanic, Anglo and African-American influences, along with crypto-Jews, the Penitente Brotherhood and Buddhists (among unnamed others) says much for us to be proud of. Taos should never take its cultural richness for granted. I say this aware of the petty resentments and divisions that lie underneath the surface. They don’t bother me as much because every town in America has them. The follies of local politics can be just as aggravating in New England as they are in New Mexico. There are those in both regions who find pleasure in casting shame, guilt and unfounded accusations.
Doing so, however, is a luxury none of us can now afford. The next several years will see the forces of hatred and fear using division as a tactic to wreck the core values that cultures in New Mexico have embodied for centuries. In particular, the new “Alt-Right” movement (a much nicer term than “Neo-Nazis”), which has an ear in the new White House, is actively promoting racism and religious bigotry.
Not here. While not so blind as to expect a “Kumbaya” moment to exist in Taos, I was heartened by the recent meeting of the county commissioners when it was advocated that Taos remain a “sanctuary city” in the face of Trump’s immoral immigration policy. The meeting, which I attended, demonstrated Taos at its best. Not merely by the vast outpouring of several hundred present but from the enlightened statements and perspectives that were presented.
The Spanish Jews fleeing the Inquisition in the 17th century referred to Northern New Mexico as a place of refuge. Taos can become more than that, an example for the rest of the nation. The alternative is too frightening to contemplate. I pray all Taoseños aspire to the better angels of our nature in the challenging times ahead.
Brown is an artist, writer and former public school teacher living in Arroyo Seco.
