This afterword is part of a citizen-led book project in Fort Wayne called FORTHCOMING: Considering the Future State of Our City. To learn more and read the full collection of essays, visit the Foreword and Preface.
We long for security. Yet, we seek ever to explore. We are born to create. Yet, we fight to preserve. We strive single-handedly to chart our own courses. But, we join together in families, neighborhoods, and communities to support one another and transform our worlds. We are driven to be fully alive, and at the same time, to wholly belong.
We are living, breathing dichotomies. When we govern our passions, infuse them with intellect, and collaborate, we build a world that holds all human knowledge in a phone in our pocket. When our fear governs, we threaten our own survival.
This journey of humankind began as we emerged from the oceans, made land and set forth to create art, scientific study, justice, philosophy and democracy.
It is remarkable, considering that we evolved largely governed by our old brains to fear, to be wary of strangers and to resist the unknown. Instinct pushes us first to fall back and defend.
Was it not a fear of change, a response to a perceived threat, that propelled the actions of some at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021?
Yet, our massive new brains motivate us to think critically and to embrace risk, strive and seek to discover and create more, the different, the new.
While the physics of a constantly expanding universe make change inevitable, the human species specifically, intentionally and often thoughtfully chooses to imagine and fashion its own future.
In spite of our flight or fight impulse, we brave the unknown. We search for the foundations of our existence through the study of molecular biology and quantum mechanics, drilling into the most fundamental elements of matter, while simultaneously investigating the cosmos in search of our beginning, and the very start of time. Inevitably, we push up, out and beyond.
This duality of humankind, the eternal battle of our old and new brains, pulses through our community today, as it has throughout human history.
Some are wary of what’s next, but still excited by the changes they see and what might be. The push-pull of human nature prompts us to build walls while also bulldozing frontiers. It is the stimulus that fosters group stability and strength, while lionizing individualism. It’s what mobilized college students with aspirations to connect the world and shake the foundations of the world’s oldest democracy.
Our stunningly brave authors, with raw openness and trust, from their singular perspectives, confront this human duality. Amidst their inspired ideas, laments and calls for action, they challenge us to seize the future. They summon our human will to search, learn and develop our community to enrich both individual opportunity and the collective good.
In this anthology our authors’ premise is that we want more for ourselves, and, by intentional thought, design and action, we can make our lives and our place — our Fort Wayne —better. Thus, they call forth that boundless spirit of all humankind that rejects limitations, convention and, at least to some degree, tradition. They envisage that we can, working individually but collectively, forge a Fort Wayne of more unity and individuality, more liberty and justice, more art and science, more opportunity and independence.
Forthcoming, at its root, presents a moral choice. Will we truly see one another, confront our own preferences and biases, respect our vast initial differences and engage one another? Will we work to define a new portfolio of common, inclusive objectives and then find ways to pull together to realize them? Will we harness the good, redirect the bad, and fuse our innate duality to the positive? And always, will we pledge to keep most present the dignity in each of us?
In a country whose DNA is rich with don’t tread on me, our scribes leave us with a demanding and audacious mandate. Working together does not readily marry with our vaunted rugged individualism. Still, stopping to see ourselves in the other, seeing their dignity always, is our highest purpose and the path to our best future.
To achieve this, we must commit to building trust; and relationships are the foundation of all trust. Each author demands of us, in their own way, to overcome our innate defensive nature, and to, instead, lead with open minds, caring hearts and generous spirits. Our dedication to a Fort Wayne that is a place of pride and opportunity for all arises from a collective commitment to see, know and hear one another.
We evolved through the ages. That glowing spark in each of us is the stardust from which we burst. And so, we must dream without boundaries and work together fearlessly for the betterment of all. It is what makes us unstoppable.
Tim Pape is a partner at Carson and practices in Family Law and Business Litigation. Being a native of Fort Wayne, he has a deep commitment to this community and this firm. He has spent all 25 years of his practice at Carson and believes fully that when individuals come together and work cooperatively, whether that be at a firm or within a community, growth is realized. Tim’s passion for collaborating for change is shown in his unparalleled contribution to this region. Tim has accrued a substantial knowledge of state and local government while serving as a city councilman which attracts corporate and individual clients alike. Within family law, his pro bono cases coupled with his high dollar asset division cases ensure that he assists individuals of all economic levels.