by Dr. David Fialkoff, Editor / Publisher

This Mexican Independence Day brings to mind some recent praise I gave a new friend, author and collaborator, Don Patterson, an octogenarian whose robustness I admired. As if revealing the fountain of his youthfulness, he explained, "I've never had a job. I've only ever worked at things that interest me," a good formula for staying young at any age.

Don's independence is a bit prickly. My father just kept to himself. Always of few words, at sixteen-years-old, when I told Dad that I wanted to get a summer job, he dissuaded me with a single question, "How many summers are you going to be sixteen?"

Fifty years later, I attribute a fair amount of the youthful spring still left in my step to the fact that I also have never worked for anyone else. That, and that I've always been fascinated by what I've done: doctoring, writing, building a retreat center in Vermont, even pitching in at the thin-crust pizzeria I owned.

Not yet entirely old and gray, I'm still celebrating my independence every day, still fascinated by what occupies my time and energy, Lokkal, this local internet platform, already used by thousands and, unless I miss my guess, soon to be used by millions more.

Knowing my eagerness for local content, some weeks ago, Don Patterson arranged for me to meet Jaime Fernandez, the owner of the Instituto Allende. Don invited both of us over to his house for his regular Friday breakfast. It was a very good meeting. Another octogenarian, Señor Jaime has a wealth of publishable personal content. Then, he has two very newsworthy projects: a museum that the Instituto is about to open and the English translation of his and Jesus Ibarra's book The DNA of San Miguel de Allende, about to be published.

A week before that breakfast, I had complained to Don about several failed attempts, made over a year, to get that Jesus Ibarra, the most prolific author on San Miguel, to contribute articles to Lokkal. When I made that complaint, Don curtly informed me, based on his having lived in Mexico for over a half century, "You gave up too soon."

With that admonition fresh in mind, a week after that breakfast, when Don asked me how my relationship with Jaime was progressing, I replied more optimistically, "Our collaboration is slowly taking root," adding "Jaime is not like us. Whatever we are, we are only self-made, the first generation. He has ancestry." (Jaime's father was governor of the State of Guanajuato in the 1930s.) Don readily agreed, confessing, "I come from white trash."

However, in the realm of independence, I do, in fact, have strong family lineage. My father was independent to a fault. No one ever convinced him to do anything that he didn't want to do, and few he hadn't thought of himself. His never explaining himself made me a very good, if slightly neurotic, listener.

These days, in hopes of making my independence more inclusive, I'm explaining myself, and with good results.

Don Patterson, bless his atheistic heart, has been a big help getting the articles to flow in. Pleased with my presentation of his articles, and attune with the concept of localismo, he has called upon his impressive network of friends and associates to submit their articles to Lokkal.

And my explaining, combined with having something to show for myself (this town is full of dreamers), has endeared Lokkal to two important people. This is a good state of affairs as I'm already pedaling as fast as I can, and as the lawyer warned me years ago, "Growth can kill you."

These two women are each much more involved with the local, San Miguel scene than am I, which is important when you're building community, as is Lokkal. Plus, they're Mexican, which is also a very good qualification (better than being a white-bearded gringo) to be the public-facing representatives of Lokkal. Plus, both are very articulate.

One of them has been immersed for decades in the history and politics of our city and state. Having just left her institutional job (she continues giving tours of haciendas), she has already opened doors for Lokkal.

The other, younger and with youthful ambition, already with one main source of employment and two side jobs, has been involved with publishing for a long time. Always having been relegated to the background at work, she was visibly moved when I told her that I would like to put her sensibilities and tastes up front as the editor of Lokkal. At my remarks, her face reflected the appreciation of being appreciated, not just for her skill set, but for who she is. Outspokenness and independence of thought are necessary in many venues, but nowhere more than at the helm of a magazine.

Independence comes with its own set of difficulties. But, as Don Patterson's vibrant longevity attests, it has its own many rewards.

Lokkal's local internet will render San Miguel independent of the dictates and the extraction of advertising revenues that our city currently suffers under the boot of our Big Tech overlords. Thank you, Google, but we don't need your algorithm; we will present our own city to the planet... and we'll do it better than you. "El pueblo unido, jamás será vencido" / The people, the town united, will never be defeated.

The fireworks went off last night. This morning, as I write this, the city is inordinately quiet. I have a lot to celebrate this Independence Day. ¡Viva México!

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Dr. David Fialkoff presents Lokkal, our local social network, the community online and off, Atención robustly reborn for the digital age. If you can, please do contribute content, or your hard-earned cash, to support Lokkal, SMA's Voice. Use the orange, Paypal donate button below. Thank you.

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