In broad strokes, philosophy falls into two schools. The belief that essence precedes existence. Or opposite belief, that existence precedes essence. The first believes we are born with an innate nature—be it the Original Sin of Christianity or the predetermined good or evil of our being. Or just Human Nature. This essence leaves us predisposed to act in certain ways. The latter group believes we are born Tabla Rosa, blank, and are a product of our upbringing. Our will allows us to become what we visualize. This is the basic premise of existentialism—“Man nothing but that that he makes of himself” Jean-Paul Sartre in Being and Nothingness.

These two thoughts represent the essential dichotomy of all western social thought. Nature vs. nurture. We are born with innate characteristics or we learn as we grow and are a product of our environment.

I thought of this over dinner this last summer and in recent weeks as the influx of winter residents fills our empty homses and bars. One person at the table moved to Fernie after retiring. For work, he’d moved around Canada living a a variety of different cities. After being offered an early retirement package, he took it and hightailed it to Fernie. Another person at the table moved here with her husband, so he could work at the mine. One moved for the job. The other for the place after finished working. Neither moved “for the town of Fernie.” Now, neither could imagine leaving Fernie for any reason.

The conversation moved from “working where they send you” to people who “move to Fernie for Fernie” and then work any five jobs they need to afford their stay.

There is the living version of the philosophical dichotomy at work here.

You can live where they want you to (pre-disposed) or you can chose to live where you want.

Another way to say it, you can live as they want you to, or you can live as you want to.

Look at the folks around you. The mine recruits employees based on the location—the Elk Valley. Visit the Elkford webs site www.elkford.ca and check out how they position their town. Elkford is a place you want to live. Mountains and humor. Same with the Sparwood site www.sparwood.ca. It’s a big green truck/mining sort of town and their proud of it. These towns get the concept of branding. (As a final jaunt on the internet, visit the City of Fernie site www.fernie.ca. After visiting the other two sites it’s a marvel anyone even bothers to stop in Fernie. From the internet presence alone, I’d just continue through to the Elk Valley towns with personality. It sure ain’t found at Fernie.ca)

Look at the FAR site—www.skifernie.com. Again, a load of fun, even in the “employment” section.

So I guess my premise would be, Fernie is such an interesting town because it is full of people who have made the conscious choice to exhibit free will and move here for the town, the valley and the skiing. That’s a broader essence of character than you will find in the people that move to Toronto, Vancouver or any other city.

In a sense, the character of Fernie is a self-fulfilling prophecy. The town is filled with people who appreciate the community and the surrounding terrain. People visit, love the town and are awed by the valley. They learn the same sort of people live here. They move here. Like attracts like.

And that day, there is one more who Likes living in Fernie.

And what’s not to Like about that?

It’s all about the community. And the Valley. With a bit of free will tossed in!