Sometimes the smallest things tell the biggest stories.
1958.
I drive past this torn American flag frequently. These days, it has become a pretty good indicator of which direction the wind is blowing and what kind of weather might be coming. But there is something about that flag that bothers me far more than its ability to tell me whether the cold air is coming from the north or the warmth is coming from the south.
It once flew proudly above Ball & Prier Tire, a family tire company in Golden, Missouri.
After 68 years in business, the company was sold in 2023. The business that took over apparently wasn't able to carry on what had been built before it. From what I see driving by, the business and the flag that once stood proudly for decades have both been left to deteriorate.
I don't pretend to know everything about the company's history. I did purchase a set of tires there a few years back. Sometimes I bought from them, and other times I bought from the tire company directly across the street. Both had good people, and I had no reason to favor one over the other.
But there is something worth considering about a small-town tire company that began in 1958 and managed to remain in business for 68 years.
Think about everything that little business witnessed.
68 Years of American History
In 1958, America was a very different place.
Dwight D. Eisenhower was President. The interstate highway system was being developed, transforming how Americans traveled, transported goods, and conducted business. Families were growing, communities were expanding, and small businesses were becoming the backbone of towns across America.
The automobile was becoming increasingly important to American life. People depended on local mechanics, tire shops, gas stations, farmers, ranchers, and the men and women who kept communities moving.
That little tire company lived through all of it.
It saw the economic growth of the 1960s, the cultural changes of the 1970s, the inflation and oil crises, the manufacturing changes of the 1980s, and the technology boom of the 1990s.
It witnessed the arrival of the internet, online shopping, big-box retailers, corporate consolidation, and the gradual disappearance of countless family-owned businesses.
It saw America go from a country where people frequently knew the owner of the local business to one where consumers increasingly purchase from corporations whose owners and executives they will never meet.
And then there were the wars.
Since 1958, America has fought through the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and numerous other military conflicts and operations.
Men and women left their homes, families, farms, ranches, and small towns to serve this country. Some came home. Some did not.
That little tire company stood through generations of American sacrifice, economic change, political division, and technological advancement.
I will say this: That flag has seen a lot.
And for decades, somebody cared enough to keep it flying.
What Happened to Taking Pride in Something?
For me, that torn flag has become a reflection of the current condition of America.
We have developed an attitude of allowing things to deteriorate rather than taking responsibility for maintaining them. We have become increasingly focused on what we can get for ourselves instead of what we can contribute to the people and communities around us.
It is an attitude of, "What's in it for me?"
What happened to asking, "What can I bring to the table?"
What happened to taking pride in your work, your property, your community, and your country?
A flag is a fairly simple thing. It doesn't require a degree, a political affiliation, or a great deal of money to maintain. Somebody has to care enough to replace it when it becomes worn and torn.
And there is something else about that flag that makes its condition even more noticeable to me.
For years, somebody cared enough to keep it flying. It stood there as a practical and symbolic part of the business and the community. Even something as simple as looking at the flag could tell you which direction the wind was coming from and give you an idea of what the weather might bring.
It was part of everyday life.
Now, it is a torn reminder of what happens when nobody seems to think something is worth maintaining.
That is not just about a flag. That is about responsibility.
Veterans Day: Remember What That Flag Represents
Today is Veterans Day.
I wonder how many people will take a moment to look beyond their screens, put down their phones, and actually consider what that flag represents.
How many will take the time to talk to a neighbor, support a local business, visit a small town, or simply appreciate the people who built the communities we live in?
We have become so consumed with our individual lives that we sometimes forget the sacrifices made by generations before us.
Farmers, ranchers, factory workers, mechanics, carpenters, mothers, fathers, and ordinary working men and women built this country. Many of them wore a uniform and served under that very flag. Others supported their families and communities while their loved ones were away fighting.
Some gave everything.
Others returned home carrying memories and wounds that would never completely heal.
And what do we do with what they left us?
Do we maintain it? Do we protect it? Do we teach our children what it means?
Or do we simply allow it to deteriorate while we look the other way?
I think about the men and women who served this country when I see that torn flag. I wonder what goes through their minds when they see something that once stood proudly now hanging in tatters.
I cannot speak for them, but I can imagine that some might ask themselves whether the things they sacrificed for are being appreciated by the generations that followed.
The Bible says:
John 15:13 (KJV)
"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."
That is a sacrifice worth remembering.
And remembering requires more than posting a flag on social media once a year.
It requires living with some appreciation for what others have done and taking responsibility for what has been entrusted to us.
A Business That Went Away, A Flag Left Behind
There is another part of this story that bothers me.
A family business operated for 68 years. Generations of customers came through its doors. People purchased tires, received service, and supported the people who worked there.
Then came the sale.
I don't know all the circumstances surrounding that transaction, and I am not going to pretend that I do. Businesses change hands. Owners retire. Economic conditions change. Sometimes a business simply cannot continue.
But what is left behind tells a story of its own.
There is a difference between selling a business and abandoning the responsibility that comes with what you take over.
When somebody purchases a business, they are not just acquiring equipment, inventory, property, and a customer list. They are taking on something that other people spent years building.
There is a history there. There is a reputation. There are customers who trusted the people who came before them.
And there is a community that supported it.
If all you see is an opportunity to acquire something and extract whatever value you can before moving on, then you never really understood what you purchased in the first place.
That torn flag seems to tell me more than I think some people realize.
It is almost as if the business lost its heart and soul, and once that happened, the desire to maintain even the simplest symbols of its history disappeared.
A flag doesn't tear itself overnight. It deteriorates over time. Somebody sees it. Somebody passes by it. Somebody knows it needs attention.
And yet, there it hangs.
Sometimes neglect is not the result of not knowing. Sometimes it is simply the result of not caring enough to do anything about it.
America Has a Maintenance Problem
I have written before about the direction of this country, the disappearance of small businesses, the concentration of wealth, and the growing disconnect between the people who work and the corporations that profit from their labor.
We seem to have become very good at building things, selling things, buying things, and moving on to the next opportunity.
But we are becoming increasingly poor at maintaining what we already have.
We can build enormous data centers, pour billions into technology, construct corporate empires, and spend unimaginable amounts of money on things that promise a better tomorrow.
But can we maintain a small-town business?
Can we keep a local community alive?
Can we teach the next generation to repair something instead of throwing it away?
Can we keep our word, honor our commitments, and take pride in something that might not make us wealthy?
These are not complicated questions.
America does not need another motivational slogan. It needs people willing to take responsibility.
It needs people who understand that freedom comes with responsibility, that prosperity comes with work, and that a community is only as strong as the people willing to contribute to it.
The Bible tells us:
Galatians 6:9 (KJV)
"And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not."
There is a principle here that seems to be missing from much of modern society.
You cannot continually neglect something and expect it to remain strong.
You cannot take from a community without eventually weakening it.
You cannot expect future generations to inherit something wonderful if you refuse to maintain what was handed to you.
And you cannot claim to love a country while showing no interest in preserving the things that made it worth loving.
It Is Easy to Point Out a Problem. It Takes Someone to Fix It.
I don't want this article to come across as though I am simply driving by, pointing a finger, and complaining about a torn flag. I have personally spoken with surrounding businesses, trying to find someone who might know how to get it taken care of. So far, nobody seems to have an answer.
I haven't given up.
My next stop will be the local fire station. Perhaps someone there can point me in the right direction or help determine the proper way to retire and replace the flag.
And if the previous owners of Ball & Prier Tire happen to see this, I would welcome hearing from them. Perhaps they would be willing to take care of it themselves, or simply grant me permission to do so.
I would gladly make the effort to see that flag replaced and flying proudly again. I am not looking to take ownership of somebody else's property or business. I simply believe that something representing this country, and something that stood proudly for decades, deserves better than being left to deteriorate.
There is something rather ironic about writing an article about people no longer caring enough to maintain what they have inherited while I am trying to find someone who will allow me to repair something that has been neglected.
But perhaps that is exactly the point.
You cannot always wait for somebody else to care. Sometimes you have to be the person willing to step forward.
I don't know whether I will find the answer at the fire station, through the surrounding businesses, or by hearing from the previous owners. But I intend to keep asking.
That flag has stood through 68 years of American history. I think it deserves a little more respect than to be left hanging in tatters.
And if all it takes is a little effort, some cooperation, and permission from the right people, then perhaps we can get one small thing in this community standing tall again.
We Need People Willing to Repair Things
I am not writing this to make another political argument. I am not pointing fingers at one political party, one administration, or one group of people.
This is bigger than politics.
It is about character.
It is about the difference between those who build something and those who simply consume what others have built.
It is about the difference between ownership and stewardship.
It is about understanding that we are not here simply to take what we can get and leave the next person to deal with the consequences.
We need people willing to repair things.
We need people willing to support small businesses, farmers, ranchers, and local tradesmen. We need people who understand the value of keeping money circulating in their own communities rather than sending every dollar to a corporation somewhere else.
We need people who will teach their children how to work with their hands, how to fix something, how to respect their neighbors, and how to appreciate the sacrifices of those who came before them.
And sometimes, before we can begin repairing the larger problems, we need somebody willing to point out the smaller ones.
Sometimes that means shining a light on a torn flag.
Not to embarrass somebody, but to make people look.
To make somebody ask why it has been allowed to deteriorate.
To make somebody wonder when we became so accustomed to seeing things fall apart that we no longer feel compelled to do anything about them.
What are you going to do about it?
That is the question.
A Torn Flag Is Not the End of the Story
I imagine that over those 68 years, Ball & Prier Tire saw just about everything a small-town business could experience.
It saw good years and bad years. It saw generations of customers. It saw changing technology, changing economics, and changing America.
And through all those years, that flag stood tall.
Somebody once thought it was important enough to put it up, keep it flying, and make sure it was illuminated.
That meant something.
But somewhere along the way, the business changed hands, the heart of what had been built disappeared, and even the desire to maintain that flag seems to have gone with it.
I cannot help but see a parallel between that little tire company and America itself.
We have inherited something that generations before us worked, sacrificed, and sometimes died to build. We have inherited freedoms, opportunities, communities, and a country that was never perfect but was worth fighting for.
And now we are watching too many things deteriorate while people carry on as though somebody else will eventually take care of them.
A torn flag is easy to replace.
Rebuilding a community, restoring trust, bringing back small businesses, and teaching people to care about something beyond themselves is a much bigger undertaking.
But it starts with the same thing.
Somebody has to care enough to do something.
I don't know what the future holds for that old tire company, or whether anybody will ever replace the flag. But every time I drive past it, I am reminded that neglect doesn't happen all at once. It happens one day at a time, one decision at a time, and one responsibility ignored after another.
A country doesn't fall apart in a single day. Sometimes it simply stops maintaining the things that once held it together.
This Veterans Day, I salute those who served, those who are serving, and those who sacrificed so that the rest of us could live in freedom.
But I also challenge the rest of us.
Don't just fly the flag. Respect what it represents.
Don't just talk about loving America. Contribute something to it.
Don't just remember the past. Take responsibility for what you leave behind.
Because if we are unwilling to maintain what others sacrificed to give us, what exactly are we leaving for the next generation?
A torn flag, a torn country, or something worth standing for?
The Artist ONE
Malachi
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