One For All?

There is a  house around the corner from ours that  I've affectionately dubbed  The  Olive Garden for its architectural resemblance to the popular purveyor of unlimited breadsticks.  It's a stately, stone residence fronted by a fountain and palm trees, and it stands out conspicuously among the other modest homes in the area.

At some point in the past couple of years, the house was vacated.  Soon after, there were trucks for a commercial insulation installer in the driveway.  I suspected a home improvement project.  I was wrong.  A California company is now running a business out of the four-car garage and the crew is living in the home.  The trucks are loaded with insulation each morning, head out to a job site for the day, and return in the evening.  

On the opposite side of our street, and within view of our home, is another house that has suffered a similar fate.  After the owner passed away, the house sat vacant for months.  It briefly harbored an illegal marijuana-growing operation and is now occupied by sketchy characters who have erected a large building in the back without a permit.  The yard and driveway are cluttered with vehicles, appliances, and furniture.

Both of these sites are violating local residential codes.  The city has levied fines and yet the violations continue. In the past, people wouldn't have subjected their neighbors to this blight out of shame or embarrassment. Today there is dwindling respect for local laws and for our sense of community.

Is it any wonder, is it any wonder,

Is it any wonder, that we fuss and fight?

Neighbours do unto strangers, 

do unto neighbours

what you do to yourself ...

 ~ Neighbours

On a state level, our freeways are strewn with litter even though signs warn that violators will feel pain.  Apparently, it's inconvenient to dispose of trash at home. Are motorists actually reporting littering violators? Our state has an Adopt-A-Highway program that allows volunteers to clean up the litter in exchange for a sign that lets drivers know who is keeping their roadways clean.  Incredibly, the state charges those volunteers $300-$900 for those signs. They must be trying to make up for lost revenue. 

Nationally, we're battling a widening public health crisis with unknown - and potentially long-term - side effects. Many citizens of our great United States would rather fret about personal rights and overload the health care system than seek compromise or be inconvenienced in any way.

And finally, on a global scale, science has been repeatedly telling us there's a problem and yet there is ongoing discord and a subsequent lack of meaningful action on our earth's loss of biodiversity and the impending climate disaster.  The planet will adapt, but humanity may not be so lucky.

Think the time is right 

for a palace revolution

But where I live the game to play 

is compromise solution ...

~ Street Fighting Man

Have you ever noticed how a flock of birds can morph and change direction instantly?  Each bird is acting instinctively as a single cell in a larger organism.  The movements protect the flock from predators and conserve energy by making flight more efficient.  They don't overthink or debate the situation - they just act. It remains to be seen, however, if they can protect themselves from humanity.

There was a time in the not-to-distant past when humans banded together in cooperation to ensure survival. Imagine what our species could accomplish today if we chose to set aside ego, greed, and ignorance in pursuit of a common goal.  Maybe we could take a lesson in longevity from a few guys who have worked through their differences and prospered ...

RIP Charlie Watts

    

"Let's grab the world, girl 

by the scruff of the neck

And drink it down deeply, 

and love it do death ... "

 ~ Mixed Emotions