Monday, March 13, 2006
Would you decrease a daily toil by a fair increment...
...in exchange for decreasing the effect of a crowning moment in life?
This question comes in response to Neon's post about saving the Trussels and the effects it may have. They are expanding the 241 toll road, and this will lead to affect a fair amount of "nature." I use quotes since I have not done the research myself, and am not sure exactly what is being affected, but I'm sure it is somehow related to natural trees/grass/land/rivers and that extent.
The idea is that one's daily freeway toil will be reduced; a recurring savings that will tally up to a fair amount of time.
However, the land that was set aside to maintain the natural beauty that has made OC a green and lush area.
Imagine, if you will, a rock climber reaching the top of the hill. He was out of shape a year ago, and a climb like this was impossible. He had trained for a year, cleaned up his drug habits, reunited with his estranged father in the meantime and has turned his life around.
He is finally able to climb this mountain, a symbol of the struggles in his life, and is finally able to breath the thinner, but fine air at the higher elevation, overcoming the obstacles that has claimed a fair portion of his life. He scans the horizon as the sun sets, relishing in this victory his hard work has claimed. This is the feeling of life at its purest; what hard work and goals culminate in, the cheering and glory of one's own self-discovery and achievement.
However, his view passes over the terrain of the land, and a gouging freeway has punctured the purity of the land.
His crowning achievement has not been taken away, but the effect has been dimmed a bit.
Imagine that a similar experience happened to 10 other people. 100 other people. 1000 other people. For every person saving 10 minutes of their commute to work and home; what if this happened to them?
Is it worth it?
