Was Stockbridge as ideal as some claim?
Maybe — for two hundred eighty-three years the village planned and self-governed in a way that made it a most desirable village today — judging by house and land prices.
It resulted in a prescription for living that was — actually — loveable; and created something about Stockbridge that made those who came want to stay. That’s why we now have 60% second homeowners.
Good planning is based on good values, and Stockbridge had a simple recipe for good planning: we did not overbuild; we left air and space and greenery. We valued our history. We knew about those who came before and were looking out for those who would come after.
Stockbridge had a simple recipe for good living too: common decency, unerring politeness, and an understanding that maintaining the relationship was more important than winning an argument. The underpinning of it all was: every human being deserved dignified response. That is why we never honked at people or sued people, shook our fist at people, or saw our neighbors as enemy combatants
The permanent population was always small. The fewer people, the more any one person was valued. Contrary to what you’ve heard or read, Stockbridge was never rich — Stockbridge just attracted the rich. They liked to have the best of everything, and Stockbridge sure was the very best of something. They came to be with us because of the smallness, simplicity, and niceness.
Newcomers always mistakenly believed we wanted them to come and were better off for their coming. We let them believe it. Many cannot imagine a people for whom money is not the highest goal.
If you come to live in our midst, don’t be too quick to know what’s best for Stockbridge. Sit awhile. Get to know us and learn our ways. Our values stood us in good stead for a very long time. Don’t kill the goose that laid the golden egg. No need to push and shove and end by looking over your shoulder with regret for what was lost.
You see it doesn’t matter if Stockbridge was ideal if an ideal informed Stockbridge’s decisions and shaped Stockbridge’s goals.
Happy New Year! Let us resolve to listen as much as we talk, preserve decency as well as beauty, and leave room enough to stretch our thoughts and change our minds.
