In today’s sharp sparkle, this winter air, anything can be made, any sentence begun.
On the brink, on the brim, on the cusp – praise song for walking forward in that light.
– Inaugural Poem, Jan. 20, 2009
This is a most unique moment in the history of humanity, for we are on the precipice – on the edge, if you will – between an age led by personality and ego and an age led by soul, as we have seen with the naming of our new president. There is no turning back, for the energies are set in motion like an underground subway car coming to a silent halt in front of your face. The door swishes open and then you are faced with the greatest of dilemmas: do you stay or do you go?
Before you decide, however, mind the gap – that dangerous open space between the platform and the train. Many of us are petrified. We’re standing in a pool of fear as everything around us falls apart: the global financial crisis that continues to erase personal savings; the loss of jobs and no clear path back to security; relationships cracking and marriages dissolving; foreclosures and the threat of them; and greater dependence upon the plastic card to survive.Who among us has not been touched by this ever-insistent force of change? I have.
I learned on the second day of this new year that the existence of this very publication was near its end, that the February edition would be the last.
If there ever was one, this was a moment ripe for meltdown. But surprisingly, I felt no fear. I was filled with hope. Minutes later, I was asked to buy this magazine, along with our sales manager Cathy Jacobsen. We chose to do so, one week later.
While it is true that newspapers and magazines across the nation are failing at alarming rates, many are doing so because of very high expenses and a slow reaction to the paradigm shift we are now experiencing – the true transformation from the industrial age to the information age. This has become a wired world, and those who are networking in community are on the leading edge of this new wave.
Publishers are scrambling to tap into what they believe is an online fountain of wealth to replace dwindling ad revenue, but I don’t believe it exists. Money made the old way does not necessarily translate into prosperity in the new. As Einstein said, "We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them."Cathy and I look at this magazine and its website in the same way as the new president views his government – as a way to organize community. The emphasis of The Edge magazine and website will be on serving the needs of our community. Our motto is, "We listen." The Edge is not a vehicle to tell you what we think you should hear, but the means by which members of our community speak with each other.
So we want you to tell us everything you want this publication to be. Brainstorm fast and furiously, and email all of your ideas to us at [email protected]. Please! What do you want The Edge magazine to include? What do you want it to be?
Some quick notes on the March edition:
We are adopting the same name as the original publication created in 1992, with a new tagline: The Edge: Soul of the Cities.
We are trimming costs by changing printers and reducing the size of the magazine, from 10×12 inches to standard magazine size of 8×11. We will work with current advertisers to change the size of their ads at no cost.
We will unveil a new digital copy of The Edge on our website in March so we will not have to destroy as many trees to give you a copy of it.
Lower advertising prices will be announced soon online and via email. Cathy will be contacting present and past advertisers by phone.
We are honored to continue the incredible legacy established by Gary Beckman in creating The Edge, and we intend to support this publication with all of our heart and soul.
We look forward to serving you.