01-06-2009, 04:12 AM
The issue will clearly take and should embrace a multitude of approaches. Anything that works will work.
The shift in perception is clearly coming. It will take much increased personal involvement on all parts to make progress on issues of this nature in the forthcoming economic environment.
At the end of the day, even if cameras or gps or none of the above really worked--at the very least the real effort and personal involvement in concrete action is a very empowering influence on a community, and it's worth any of it for that alone. It changes perspectives, and changes attitudes. This is part of the whole as well.
The other day I was down in Pahoa to meet with Damon's father in law and pick up a book. I was sitting in the coffee shop observing the scene. The coffee shop was out of coffee. A number of folks were loitering around in various costumes. Some bearded dude with a beanie on his head was parading around in the parking lot playing a flute. Watching all this, and noting that while the flute playing wasn't too skilled--his skill in checking car doors to see if they were locked or not was pretty deft.
So, what does one do? Call the cops on the musician? No evidence, no anything. It's not too encouraging to be in such a position as to more or less have to sit helplessly--unless I physically go out there and ram the flute, well, and then go to jail myself. We don't have crime problem, per se. We have a culture problem. And of course the culture is all of us. And why I still insist change starts with personal action.
The shift in perception is clearly coming. It will take much increased personal involvement on all parts to make progress on issues of this nature in the forthcoming economic environment.
At the end of the day, even if cameras or gps or none of the above really worked--at the very least the real effort and personal involvement in concrete action is a very empowering influence on a community, and it's worth any of it for that alone. It changes perspectives, and changes attitudes. This is part of the whole as well.
The other day I was down in Pahoa to meet with Damon's father in law and pick up a book. I was sitting in the coffee shop observing the scene. The coffee shop was out of coffee. A number of folks were loitering around in various costumes. Some bearded dude with a beanie on his head was parading around in the parking lot playing a flute. Watching all this, and noting that while the flute playing wasn't too skilled--his skill in checking car doors to see if they were locked or not was pretty deft.
So, what does one do? Call the cops on the musician? No evidence, no anything. It's not too encouraging to be in such a position as to more or less have to sit helplessly--unless I physically go out there and ram the flute, well, and then go to jail myself. We don't have crime problem, per se. We have a culture problem. And of course the culture is all of us. And why I still insist change starts with personal action.
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