Just as the job interview seems smooth, the interviewer drops the question.
“So, where do you see yourself in five years?”
Witty, sarcastic folks must use restraint at that moment. “Anywhere but here” would not be a wise response.
Impossible as it is to make such a prediction, this routine question holds relevance. Its answer reveals whether the applicant has a plan to improve his or her life beyond buying a bigger TV.
So, Indiana, where do you see yourself in five years?
Eighteen months ago, the governor of Iowa announced a plan to put that fellow Midwestern state atop one of the nation’s most comprehensive quality-of-life barometers — the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index — within five years. In announcing the Healthiest State Initiative, Gov. Terry Branstad aimed to “assist Iowans in learning about and applying proven methods to live longer, happier and healthier lives.”
Branstad’s Republican counterpart in Indiana, newly inaugurated Gov. Mike Pence, should formally challenge the People of the Corn. Pence hinted at such an objective in the closing remarks of his first State of the State address last week, saying, “We can put Hoosiers back to work and make Indiana first in job creation, first in education, and first in quality of life.” Perhaps the last goal just sounded good, a slice of soaring political rhetoric. As I noted in a column last week, those first two goals — job creation and education — are tangible. “Quality of life” requires definition.
The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index does just that, with scientific research updated daily.
Trib-Star readers offered their definitions of quality of life, as I requested in that column. So did Gov. Pence’s office.
We’ll start with him.
“The governor has repeatedly called for good jobs, great schools, safe streets, and strong families. Together, those represent the quality of life he wants to see for all Hoosiers,” Kara Brooks, Pence’s press secretary, stated in an email response.
Each element indeed brightens lives. Still, in his address, Pence listed job creation (as in “good jobs”) and education (as in “great schools”) separately, and then added “quality of life.” To consider the latter distinctly from the quantity of jobs and excellent schools, we’ll presume Pence sees safe streets and strong families as his top criteria for quality of life.
The Well-Being Index includes a longer list. It asks Americans in 50 states to evaluate their current life situation and their future, five years out; emotional well-being; physical health, from sick days at work to pain, energy levels, obesity and disease history; healthy behaviors (smoking, eating fruits and veggies, and exercise); work environment (job satisfaction, maximizing skills, treatment by your boss and co-workers, and a level of trust); and basic access to clean water, safe places to exercise, those fruits and veggies, income to buy groceries, health care, indications the community wants progress, and being able to safely walk alone at night).
“These are really good categories that would be a good framework for a quality of life,” said Kelly Motley, spokesperson for Gallup-Healthways.
The Well-Being Index, she added, “shines a light on the problems of a society.”
Indiana has some problem areas. In overall well-being, the Hoosier state ranked near the bottom, 38th. The state’s lowest marks came in emotional health (43rd), physical health (43rd) and healthy behaviors (45th). Indiana also rated in the bottom half in life evaluation (38th) and basic access to necessities (29th). Our only top-half category among the 50 states was work environment, at 21st, and that probably would be higher if the other troubling areas improved.
Iowa, fared much better (19th overall), yet Branstad took seriously his state’s problems exposed by the index.
Indiana should too. Imagine the transformation in myriad aspects, including economically, if Hoosiers enjoyed America’s best physical and mental health, and greatest access to clean water and air, affordable produce and food, and safe places to jog or walk alone — even at night. Imagine if the state ranked 17th in per-capita income (as it did in 1965) instead of 37th (as it does now), with low child-poverty rates (instead of 20 percent). Indiana should not accept bottom-half in any of these. Public policymakers should address these, just as they trumpet job-creation numbers and thinly tested school reforms. Power brokers in Indianapolis should study why Branstad and Iowans made “quality of life” such a priority.
Indiana has plenty of pluses to build upon. Some readers answered my column’s callout last week for their definitions of “quality of life.” Those from a trio of retired Wabash Valley residents were particularly insightful and poignant.
Lea Reyher-Long of Terre Haute compiled five quality-of-life ingredients. “1. Great faith — in God and in fellow human beings; being satisfied with life as it comes [in] good and/or hard times. 2. A roof overhead, a warm place to live, and enough to eat. 3. Being able to help those less fortunate. 4. Knowing my children are well educated, have homes of their own, good jobs and are well and happy. 5. Living in a free country, not perfect, but the greatest country in the world.”
Beautifully said.
For the Tribbles, a retired Clay County couple, a move back to the Wabash Valley after six years in Florida enhanced their appreciation of the amenities here. “It was becoming so crowded in Fort Myers that you seemed to be closed in everywhere you went. Here in the Wabash Valley, there is plenty of room, the air is fresh, crime rate more reasonable than in Florida, and the main thing is the driving habits. I know there are still bad drivers around the Terre Haute area, but in Fort Myers it was just almost a game to see who could run the most stop signs or red lights.” They added, “Everything considered, this is a great area to live in.”
Dorothy Jerse of Terre Haute saw similar positives here, and added a reminder. “As a retired couple, we think our quality of life in Terre Haute is about perfect — low cost of living, friendly people, four seasons, no big-city traffic — I could go on and on,” Jerse said. “However, there are several flaws with which I have a hard time — the number of people living in poverty with children going hungry, the number of people with no jobs or with jobs with no benefits, the substandard housing. … As long as I am sharing life in the community with these people who are suffering, I can’t say I’m ‘livin’ the dream.’ I am often told it is this way everywhere, but I strongly disagree.
“Just look at the statistics,” she said.
The governor, lawmakers and local communities can take a page from Iowa, form a five-year plan and change the realities behind those statistics.
Indiana, first in quality of life? It’s a matter of addressing weaknesses and setting priorities.
Tribune-Star columnist Mark Bennett can be reached at 812-231-4377 or mark.bennett@tribstar.com.
Mark Bennett B-Sides
Related Photos
-
Tribune-Star columnist Mark Bennett
Discussion
MARK BENNETT: America’s best quality of life? Indiana must address flaws, set priorities
- Mark Bennett B-Sides
-
-
Banks of the Wabash Festival is more than just yearly entertainment
Pioneers think counterintuitively. Where others see widespread apathy, they focus on the possibility for progress. In a way, the 2013 Year of the River celebration began in the 1970s.
-
MARK BENNETT: After running for 28 hours straight, what’s another 5 miles?
Some phrases can only be uttered by a few people, or none at all.
-
MARK BENNETT: Glitches show limitations of high-stakes testing concept
The dog ate my homework. That age-old excuse — based on a shockingly unforeseen complication — rarely works for a kid who didn’t finish yesterday’s math assignment. Yet, in a role reversal, Indiana school children, along with their teachers and administrators, are left to accept an explanation for a disruption best described as the mother of all ironies.
-
MARK BENNETT: One step at a time to save lives
Joan Brown.
Remember that name. -
MARK BENNETT: Sometimes, the mere posing of questions is significant
The era seems quaint now, almost like a fable. When people left their house doors unlocked. When the sight of a police officer in a school meant it was Career Day.
-
MARK BENNETT: New reality steers Nashville singer to Crossroads for Historical Society concert
People pass through the Crossroads of America for lots of reasons.
Business trips. College campus events. Federal prison sentences. Visits with relatives. Gas pitstops.
Or maybe a career change and a twist of fate.
Ty Brown makes his first stop in downtown Terre Haute as the headliner of a multi-band Sweet Sensations Country Jam concert May 4 in the Ohio Building — a fundraiser for the Vigo County Historical Society. -
MARK BENNETT: Terre Haute barber ‘sharpens up’ customers for 50 years
People streamed through this section of downtown Terre Haute in those days.
“You could hardly walk by here,” John Hochhalter said, pointing toward the sidewalk outside the window.
The bustle has faded since the early 1960s. Hochhalter remains. He’s still barbering in the same shop he and late business partner Kenny Thomas opened a half-century ago this week. -
MARK BENNETT: Memories, emotions rush back with announcement of new pope
I saw a pope once.Read quickly, that sentence sounds too casual, almost as if we’d crossed paths at Home Depot. Say it slowly, though, and the significance comes through.
-
MARK BENNETT: Reflections of grid success stir with Brent Anderson’s passing
A few hundred miles away, and nearly 40 years gone by, a special game ball still occupies a fond place in Rudy Bohinc’s memories.
-
Lent meets ‘The Bucket List’ in Terre Haute
Initially, the concept might conjure images of Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman jumping out of an airplane or sitting atop the Pyramids. Instead, think “Lent Meets ‘The Bucket List’ in Terre Haute.”
-
MARK BENNETT: Never truer: Knowledge vital to narrowing ‘skills gap’
The pillar at the gates of Faber College in the movie “Animal House” bore a wise motto, despite its tongue-in-cheek intent …
-
MARK BENNETT: Great-niece to re-enact Paul Dresser’s musical legacy in Terre Haute show
People can be forgotten. Their lives end, time passes and memories fade.
Often, the only keepers of their legacies are family and friends, who tell and retell their stories, generation to generation.
For Paul Dresser, his fame burned strong enough as a turn-of-the-century, million-seller songwriter to preserve bits of his public notoriety. -
MARK BENNETT: An Olympic takedown
Imagine an iconic image of American sports history erased.
-
MARK BENNETT: Indiana’s ‘skills gap’
A problem lasting decades ceases to be a “problem.” By then, the situation becomes “part of the culture.”
-
MARK BENNETT: America’s best quality of life? Indiana must address flaws, set priorities
Just as the job interview seems smooth, the interviewer drops the question.
“So, where do you see yourself in five years?” -
MARK BENNETT: Pondering what is meant by ‘quality of life’ to Hoosiers
Sometimes it’s sincere. Other times, it’s sarcasm.
You cross paths with a friend, ask how they’re doing, and they say, “Ah, just livin’ the dream.”
Livin’ the dream. What exactly does that involve? Can it be defined? -
MARK BENNETT: By whatever name, stomach virus still a sick story
It’s the ugly side of the cold-and-flu season.
-
MARK BENNETT: Living on the banks
We are the Wabash.
Really. -
MARK BENNETT: Rising young producer lands spot in Sundance Film Festival
When a project clicks, the moment is clear.
-
MARK BENNETT: Remember the 20 children lost
Their names were listed on the screen at the front of the church on Sunday.
Our pastor asked us to choose one and pray for their family. I selected Noah Pozner, just by chance. -
MARK BENNETT: Tasting panel to help find Champagne Velvet’s ‘million-dollar flavor’
Rounding up enough volunteers to serve on a committee can be a struggle.
-
MARK BENNETT: Thanksgiving’s feast can be defined by either the presence of family or the family’s quest for presents
The best gift deals will be gone by 12:01 a.m. Nov. 23.
-
MARK BENNETT: Salvation Army touches many lives
Sometimes, the unexpected happens.
-
MARK BENNETT: Election excellence: 30 out of 32 is pretty darn good
Detroit car makers unveil the latest Mustangs and Corvettes on Wabash Avenue.
-
MARK BENNETT: Climbing the rungs of Lincoln’s Ladder
One crucial quality helped Abraham Lincoln become America’s greatest president.
Courage? Political savvy? Wisdom? Moral character? -
MARK BENNETT: Drop the needle
Over time, excellence and nostalgia inappropriately merge in our minds.
-
No matter the age, voting’s a part of American fabric
The electoral karma seemed, well, unfair.
-
MARK BENNETT: A moment on the brink
Ominous, but distant.
-
MARK BENNETT: Valley-born filmmaker influenced by roots
Real-life stories inspire Laura Brownson.
Even those vastly unlike her own. -
MARK BENNETT: No debating it: Candidates have it easier than ‘forensics’ specialists
Nightmares can jolt us awake, just before we fall off a cliff or show up for work or school unprepared.
- More Mark Bennett B-Sides Headlines
-
Johnson: Don't Blame Islam or UK Policy
Raw: Scuffles in London After Hacking Death
Chain-Reaction School Bus Crash Injures About 50
Raw: Heckler Interrupts Obama on Guantanamo
Raw: 80-Year-Old Climbs Mount Everest
Obama Offers Drone Strike Defense
Wash. State Man Arrested Following Ricin Scare
Raw: Aftermath of Deadly Attack in London
Okla. Teens Get Video of Deadly Tornado Overhead
Oklahoma Family Reflects on Lost Son
Texas Students Coach Teachers on Fitness
Boy Scouts Decision "First Step" Say Activists
Raw: Utah Teen Arrested in Death of His Brothers
Britain Attack Believed Linked to Radical Islam
A Slice of Apple History Up for Grabs
Raw: Jurors Deadlock on Jodi Arias Penalty
Boy Scouts Mom Supports Gay Inclusiveness
New Forecasting Tool Eyed for Hurricane Season
Meet MJ, the Bike Riding Tabby Cat
Closer Look at Okla. School Where Children Died
AK-47-wielding thug may be the most bumbling crook ever
Oklahoma Survivors, Heroes Survey Damage
Trout's cycle a boost for Angels
Raw: New Video of Deadly Oklahoma Tornado
Kim Kardashian Flaunts Pregnant Bikini Body in Greece
NBA star pledges $1M to help tornado recovery
Shakira's Shocking Talent
Morgan Freeman falls asleep on air
GRAPHIC: Blood-Soaked Machete Killer Caught on Tape
Elin Nordegren Furious With Lindsey Vonn For Parading Kids in Public
Camera Captures Climber As He Loses Grip And Falls
Helen Mirren Meets with Dying Boy in Queen Elizabeth's Place
Crowd Chants '¡Si, Se Puede!' After Passage of Immigration Bill
DWTS Crowns a Winner
Police Ram House to End Hostage Standoff
Demi Moore a Rocks Bikini at Harry Morton's Family House
Anthony Weiner: I'm running for New York City mayor
Kate Middleton's Dress Flies Up
VIRAL: Baby makes epic soccer goal
The Hangover Baby All Grown Up
