Beaumont Wilshire President's message
Albert Kaufman
Here's my message to my neighborhood for Spring 07. Happy pi day - 3.14 Albert
Winds of change, seeds of Spring, new local projects being created before my eyes – it's suddenly a much more interesting world to me. For most of my life I have been waiting for a time when more progressive ideas would get a chance to be heard and my sense is, that time has begun. Whether it's looking at the children in the neighborhood and knowing that they'll someday mostly eat organic foods (possibly fruits and vegetables they grow themselves) or looking beyond our borders to countries and continents committing to large scale change to combat global warming, it feels like our world is headed for rapid, positive change.
I've been dreaming of this time for so long I almost can't believe it's here. After pushing back, it's hard to realize that the ideals I hold dear like kindness, community, creative expression, liberation and care of the environment might be growing in our society. For example, the work of my fellow board members deserves great celebration. Coming up this spring: The Village Building Convergence; nature-scaping workshops and I'm noticing a definite trend of people exchanging their lawns for landscapes and edible gardens.
If you have an ounce of energy to give to our fantastic neighborhood, an environmental or political cause, now's the time to get involved. All efforts are welcome – every action – from saying hello to a stranger at the bus stop, planting trees everywhere, slowing down on our streets to joining our neighborhood association – all are steps towards a greater good - happy spring!
Albert Kaufman
[email protected]
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Mar 15, '07
Albert Kaufman: ..... or looking beyond our borders to countries and continents committing to large scale change to combat global warming, it feels like our world is headed for rapid, positive change. JK: You apparently forgot the last time that “countries and continents” committed “to large scale change ”. That was about 70 years ago and it started in the Far East and in Europe through the joint action of the major powers of these two regions. Got about 200 million people killed. How can you be so sure that you know how to tell others how to live without risking a repeat of that mess?
Albert Kaufman: I've been dreaming of this time for so long I almost can't believe it's here. JK: So were they back then. Be damn sure you know that what you are doing will not be a repeat of that mess.
Albert Kaufman: After pushing back, it's hard to realize that the ideals I hold dear like kindness, community, creative expression, liberation and care of the environment might be growing in our society. JK: Those are not things that can be imposed by a political movement - those virtues are usually destroyed by the hostilities caused by the use of government force to accomplish an end.
If you want to totally destroy kindness, community, creative expression, liberation and care of the environment then go ahead and use the government to force people to YOUR solution to your imagined problems. How do you differ from George Bush saying that we must force people to go to his christian church to prevent god from smiting(or whatever) us?
By the way, what is the concept of “liberation” doing in your dream of a perfect world through the use of government force? Liberation usually implies freedom from government oppression. Like the Russians finally got free of the commies (after hundreds of millions killed) and the Chinese (again hundreds of millions killed) are starting to get free. The North Koreans, Cubans and many others are still waiting.
Thanks JK
7:54 a.m.
Mar 15, '07
Yeah, Albert, how dare you suggest things like saying hello to people at bus stops? Don't you know bus stops are a giant government conspiracy? Planting trees? My god man, trees cause air pollution. Join a neighborhood association? I can hear the echo of those brownshirted jackboots now.
Don't you know you should spend all your time trolling blogs so you can make sure every positive suggestion, no matter how innocuous, meets with a negative response?
What? You say you thought little Jimmy K had that covered? Well goodness, you may be right! Maybe you don't need to take care of that after all.
In that case, Happy Spring, Albert, I hope you enjoy the fabulous weather we have to look forward to today!
Mar 15, '07
Albert: Thanks for the uplifting reminder that life is the way you look at it!
It's nice to see a positive outlook.
Sometimes with all the bad news about war, global warming, etc., the future looks so gloomy. It's good to stop and smell the pesticide-free roses.
Our homeowner association election is next week -- and I'm running for a seat on the Board. Keep your fingers crossed!
<h2>And have a nice day everybody! :-)</h2>