A Website for Action
My good friend Jerry in New Jersey read my "I am Pushed to the Limit" post about my next door burned out house. And Jerry sends me a great quote from Blaise Pascal, the French philosopher and mathematician who is considered "one of the great minds in Western intellectual history." (from Encarta)
"A long time ago, Blaise Pascal said that the world is in disarray because people no longer know hoe to sit quietly in their homes."
Oh, does that hit home for me! I have trouble saying "No" and I want to do it all myself - including rectifying inaction of government, citizens, corporations, etc., where action is called for; or visa-versa. And I want to do it NOW!
Well, thanks to Jerry and Blaise :-), an idea came forth for me to use the Internet to make a decisive move concerning disposition of the burned house ... and do it while sitting in my house. I built a one-page website for the "Citizen's Committee", made up of neighbors on my block, stating what we are doing while the house still stands and actions planned to facilitate demolishing the house. It is easily accessible to whoever may be concerned, including newspapers, radio and TV. And printouts make handy handouts at city council meetings, etc.
The "Citizen's Committee" website is at:
http://www.geocities.com/jackinwestok/East_Arapaho_200_Block_Committee.html
The website includes a picture of the burned out house. This is a case where a picture IS worth a thousand words.
November 07, 2002
I am Pushed to the Limit
December 28, 2001. A horrifying night I cannot get out of my mind ... nearly a year ago. My neighbor's house catches fire and a mother, age 41, and her two children, ages 11 and 12, are dead. The husband jumps off the roof and survives. These are my neighbors. These are my friends. And the burned shell of a house still stands - a reminder of the horror. I am pushed to the limit.
I am a patient person. Legal matters among family members cause delays. I don't want to add to their grief. The mayor and city council make promises and serve a 30-day notice to demolish the condemned building. Then the council serves another 30-day notice. Then the council serves another 30-day notice. ... etc. I am pushed to the limit.
I start organizing a block committee to show up in force at the next city council meeting and demand closure - that being demolishing the burned house. I find we are all pushed to the limit. I try to organize my thoughts, I try to write down things, ... and I am sitting here with writer's block, a headache and shaking hands. I am pushed to the limit.
I have to be realistic. I am heavily medicated for bipolar disorder - manic depression. Decompensation is always "just a step away" and I feel the aura that precedes losing stability. I am close to crossing the Rubicon. Do I risk harm to myself? I think I must take the risk because my neighbors need leadership. I notice a feeling among all of us of empowerment just from the few conversations about organizing a block committee. We need to make our position known. I am pushed to the limit.
December 28, 2001. A horrifying night I cannot get out of my mind ... nearly a year ago. My neighbor's house catches fire and a mother, age 41, and her two children, ages 11 and 12, are dead. The husband jumps off the roof and survives. These are my neighbors. These are my friends. And the burned shell of a house still stands - a reminder of the horror. I am pushed to the limit.
I am a patient person. Legal matters among family members cause delays. I don't want to add to their grief. The mayor and city council make promises and serve a 30-day notice to demolish the condemned building. Then the council serves another 30-day notice. Then the council serves another 30-day notice. ... etc. I am pushed to the limit.
I start organizing a block committee to show up in force at the next city council meeting and demand closure - that being demolishing the burned house. I find we are all pushed to the limit. I try to organize my thoughts, I try to write down things, ... and I am sitting here with writer's block, a headache and shaking hands. I am pushed to the limit.
I have to be realistic. I am heavily medicated for bipolar disorder - manic depression. Decompensation is always "just a step away" and I feel the aura that precedes losing stability. I am close to crossing the Rubicon. Do I risk harm to myself? I think I must take the risk because my neighbors need leadership. I notice a feeling among all of us of empowerment just from the few conversations about organizing a block committee. We need to make our position known. I am pushed to the limit.
November 05, 2002
Carrying in the Coal
Sitting in Goldmann's Main Street Hardware I am privileged to hear oral history from citizens often over 80 years old who still remember the life of pioneers settling the High Plains.
An older woman today saw a coal bucket for sale in the hardware store to use as decor near a fireplace. She reminisced how she had the chore to bring in a bucket of coal every evening. And with a broad smile she recalled that her parents never had to worry about her getting home late. She was afraid of the dark! So she always made sure to bring in the coal before sunset. The coal was carried from a coal crib around the back of the house into the house where it was used for heating and cooking.
With a laugh, my new found friend said that her brother who is six years younger claims he always carried in the coal. Well, she said, her brother distorts facts. She carried in a lot of coal before her brother reached an age where he could do it. I sensed that her brother is prone to an attitude that "women can't do men's work." She counters her brother's exaggerated memory of his own "male strength" by saying that for her carrying in coal was an easy job. As long as she did it before dark!
I got to thinking that on a remote plot of land with coyote howling, bobcats prowling, snakes slithering, ... etc., it is not a bit unreasonable that she was afraid of the dark.
Great lady! Great tales!
Sitting in Goldmann's Main Street Hardware I am privileged to hear oral history from citizens often over 80 years old who still remember the life of pioneers settling the High Plains.
An older woman today saw a coal bucket for sale in the hardware store to use as decor near a fireplace. She reminisced how she had the chore to bring in a bucket of coal every evening. And with a broad smile she recalled that her parents never had to worry about her getting home late. She was afraid of the dark! So she always made sure to bring in the coal before sunset. The coal was carried from a coal crib around the back of the house into the house where it was used for heating and cooking.
With a laugh, my new found friend said that her brother who is six years younger claims he always carried in the coal. Well, she said, her brother distorts facts. She carried in a lot of coal before her brother reached an age where he could do it. I sensed that her brother is prone to an attitude that "women can't do men's work." She counters her brother's exaggerated memory of his own "male strength" by saying that for her carrying in coal was an easy job. As long as she did it before dark!
I got to thinking that on a remote plot of land with coyote howling, bobcats prowling, snakes slithering, ... etc., it is not a bit unreasonable that she was afraid of the dark.
Great lady! Great tales!
November 04, 2002
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Jack finds these words of Emerson spellbinding. I think: "It doesn't get any better than this."
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"To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends,
To appreciate beauty,
To find the best in others,
To leave the world a better place,
Whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition.
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived,
This is to have succeeded."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Jack finds these words of Emerson spellbinding. I think: "It doesn't get any better than this."
-----------------------------------------
"To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends,
To appreciate beauty,
To find the best in others,
To leave the world a better place,
Whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition.
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived,
This is to have succeeded."
Ralph Waldo Emerson