The Price of Living is Eternal Vigilance

I heard the heavy machinery rolling into the Brown's lake parking lot yesterday and decided to take a gander. All I witnessed was some guy in a digger eating his lunch while the behemoth machine sat idling. So I walked down to the lake thinking it might be the last time I could enjoy the silence that nature intended. I watched a woodpecker flittering around trying to find a snack on parasites living in the trees. For some reason, I felt sorry for the woodpecker, maybe because it reminded me of us?
Like many others, I have lent support in peaceful protests, making up slogans and posters that read: "Save the Pines - Redesign" but I must admit I don't know what to do anymore except wring my hands.
The weight of the bulldozer of change cannot be easily shifted, yet I refuse to accept defeat. It is somehow personal. A common question I hear from people is "I care deeply for the environment, but what's the best way for little me to make a difference? Years ago, I coined a trite little aphorism: "making a difference by avoiding indifference". My then girlfriend loved this but doesn't give a shit whether I live or die anymore. Yes, life can be harsh and cruel, mostly confusing.  Confusing because we constantly change our mind on everything simple and sacred. An example of this comes from a dear friend of mine, who recently told me it was a waste of time for protesters to fight the current A5X design because it was a done deal and there were better things to do. I could never discourage someone from taking on a noble cause, no matter how silly or insignificant their actions may turn out. I'm beginning to wonder if that's true or if we're all a bunch of lazy cop outs? The verdict is out on this, just as it is for the human race; but the evidence does not look good...

Here's the letter of the day:


As you are aware, our Wakefield has an emergency fund that village members contribute to to help out members of our community when they are in financial need. People, including me, who contribute to this fund do not ask what the money is going for. We just know that it is going for the betterment of our village, of people in our village who are in need of help. When we help out these people, we do not ask why the recipients of this fund are in this situation, we just act for their betterment and trust the judgment of our fellow citizens who are running the fund.


And so to it is for me with the A5X protesters. Perhaps they are not in financial need but they too are faced with a severe problem and are in need of our support. And, just as with the Emergency Fund, I think it is my duty, our duty, to act in their behalf.

I think that most members of our Village,like me, are concerned about global and local environmental degradation but feel powerless to act and, in some cases, have justified their inaction by making up reasons for their inaction. As I understand it, what the protesters are arguing is that the A5X is being built without sufficient public consultation and that there are feasible, more environmentally friendly, alternatives to the presently planned destructive swath. I may not know all the nuances of the arguments that are going on, but, based on my experience, I am sure that there is much more than a grain of truth in the protesters concerns. For this reason I support their plans and actions for bringing these concerns to the attention of our Village and the builders of A5X. I think you should support the A5X activists too.-The Price of Wakefield is Eternal Vigilance