Watching the Untold Stories videos about Fort Myers helped me recognize that I know very little about the city in which I reside. It is interesting how individuals can move to an area and completely neglect interacting in the community and familiarizing one’s self with the history and culture of that area. As a college student, I spend the majority of my time at school and home. I recently went to explore downtown Fort Myers with my fellow classmates and was intrigued by the architecture. I was aware that downtown had a strong and unique history but was still uneducated on the story of how it came to be.
After watching the videos I was surprised to learn several things. I was unaware of the art culture in the area and how it affected the development of Fort Myers. I have visited downtown one time before to see a play at the theatre and noticed that the building was old but that’s where my thought process stopped. I found it fascinating to learn that the theatre was the place to go on a Saturday night in the 1920’s and that Thomas Edison had his own designated seat with a hearing aide in it. It’s almost sad how individuals are so consumed with their own lives and thoughts that they rarely take time to slow down and reflect on the history and people who built their community.
I think individuals sometimes apply this philosophy of ignorance to nature as well. Individuals may not take time to care about the planet or even their local community because it does not appear to affect their lives. I think we all too often take for granted how beautiful and clean Florida is. I recently visited Baltimore and could not believe how poorly landscaped and managed their roadways were and was disgusted by the amount of trash on the side of the roads. In Fort Myers everything is well landscaped and appears clean. People rarely take the time to think why and how this is possible, let alone partake in cleaning up the environment.
