It used to be so simple, didn’t it? Back in the horse and buggy days. One bought or rented a building on a piece of land, hung a shingle and commenced business. Or likewise settle in to raise a family in domestic bliss, with no one of consequence to answer to.

Of course, those days are far behind us. Burgeoning bureaucracy and the realities of urban planning have rendered such a blissful past into a thing of bittersweet nostalgia. We can wave goodbye to that bit of our historical heritage.

What remains is the never-ending challenge to find the proper balance between commercial interests and quality of life for the residents of our towns and cities. Municipal planners and citizens alike face the daunting task of making the right choices for the present as well as the future. This is not an easy thing, nor should it be expected to be so.

One is reminded of the famous speech by Calvin Coolidge where he is quoted as saying, “After all, the chief business of the American people is business.” What most folks forget is that in the very same speech he added, “Of course the accumulation of wealth cannot be justified as the chief end of existence.”

Perhaps best of all was this: “We make no concealment of the fact that we want wealth, but there are many other things that we want very much more. We want peace and honor, and that charity which is so strong an element of all civilization. The chief ideal of the American people is idealism. I cannot repeat too often that America is a nation of idealists. That is the only motive to which they ever give any strong and lasting reaction.”

Coolidge saw idealism in America in 1925. Do we still have it? We like to think so.

As we try our best to fashion an ideal community out of brick and mortar, we can also strive to make idealism and ambition work together effectively.