Indianapolis isn’t lacking for post-Super Bowl commentary but I am in a unique position – small business owner, employee of another small business, privvy to some of the details of SB46 planning and able to view everything through the lens of a reporter – so I have decided to weigh in. Rather than stitch all of my thoughts together in a Frankentein’s monster of an essay, I decided to dedicate a post to each thought.

I spent several months working with Indianapolis City Market and the Mass Ave and Fountain Square merchants associations to plan, fund, and execute a free Super Bowl circulator shuttle. And the process reinforced a very simple truth that applies to all areas of life.

There’s no business owner versus merchants association dichotomy, no tenant versus versus landlord division, no merchant versus resident opposition, there’s just neighborhoods, communities. A business owner might succeed for a bit while only thinking of herself, her immediate needs, her bottom line. But the moment she falters she’ll reach out to the very people who needed her when they struggled and she might find herself without a net.

Be a good neighbor. Find ways to satisfy your needs in the context of your place and your community. Take responsibility not just for yourself but for the things at the periphery of your reach. Don’t let ‘adversarial’ be your default position. Because there is no us versus them. There’s just us.

Read more:

Bowled Over Part Three: Blood In, Blood Out
Bowled Over Part Two: The $100 Million Ad Buy
Bowled Over Part One: Let Us Give Thanks
Naptown To Super City (Video)