20 Mar Go off on your way now… a reader dissents

I wrote, as many have written and said before me, “The worst thing about living in Cape Breton, even worse than getting through April, is watching so many young people leave home, knowing most will only return for fleeting visits.” Warren Reed disagrees:

The best thing about living in Cape Breton, even better than finally getting through April, is watching so many young people leave home to make successes of themselves.

We are a small place overflowing with smart and ambitious youth, more than we deserve or can possibly use.  It seems that our best export continues to be talent.  In boardrooms across Canada, in Silicon Valley, in recording studios, in Hollywood, in Buda, and yes, even in Pest are the representatives of Cape Breton.

Generation after generation, like young people everywhere, our children obey nature’s imperative and try their flight feathers.  We know most will only return for fleeting visits, but we are proud that we have prepared them so well to act on the world stage.

We miss them, yet we know Cape Breton is in their genes and they routinely further our interests.  We wish them well and recognize their contribution even though they are not present.

I still hate to see them go. We need people with these qualities here, not in distant boardrooms.