It can sometimes be difficult to remember that we live in a community, especially when a topic being discussed impacts you on a more personal level. If a building is being constructed next to your home or the school district makes a decision that impacts your kid, of course you’re going to have a more vested interest in how things turn out.

It’s important to remember, though, that each of us is just a single piece of the puzzle that makes up Fountain Hills. That development you might not like could be a valuable asset to the community as a whole, and your kid is just one of the thousand-plus that attend the local schools.

This is not to say that folks should sit idly by and keep their mouths shut when they disagree with something. Disagreements and healthy discussion are what lead to the best decisions being made for all parties involved. But again, there’s a key term there: All parties involved.

It’s a fact that opposition to something inherently draws a louder voice. No matter what you do for a living, we’re willing to bet that you receive comments far more regularly about what you are “doing wrong” than what you are “doing right.” Similarly, folks are far more likely to tell you they do not agree with something you are doing rather than openly voice their support of something they agree with. It’s just human nature. If things are going the way we want them to, we typically sit back and enjoy the ride. If they aren’t, well, that’s usually when we choose to speak up.

Add to that the fact that we typically connect with folks who have similar thoughts, feelings and beliefs to our own, and it’s easy to understand why someone would say “the whole town is against this.” But again, the 50 people who agree with you on Facebook are only a fraction of the 24,000 living in this community.

And again, there’s nothing wrong with that, but we encourage members of the community to remember that their voice is only one of many, many voices that must be considered when the Town Council or School Board makes a decision. We have no idea what other messages our elected officials are receiving on social media, email, over the phone or in person. We’re only privy to what we experience in our personal bubbles while they are subject to voices coming from every direction on a given matter.

A phrase we see pop up regularly is “they are not listening to their constituents.” That usually comes up when one of the local boards makes a decision that the person does not agree with. Just remember that, if the decision had gone the other way, everyone on the other side of the argument would be claiming the same thing. Making a decision counter to the one you yourself would make does not mean the board/council is not listening to you, it just means that they took all of the information, input and data into consideration and they did not come to the same conclusion that you did. They listened, they just didn’t agree.

But again, disagreements are healthy and encouraged. But at no point should those disagreements become disrespectful or, far worse, deteriorate into threats.

Offer your input, but understand that every big decision will have a side that gets what they want and a side that does not. Neither side, though, has a right to mistreat the ones who actually have to make the decision.