To the Editor,
Life today is about change.
Cities evolved by their ability to capitalize on being centres for trade, commerce, artisanal industry, cultural creativity, science, art and organized religion.
Emerging cities revived classical culture, and created new patterns and attitudes of commercial interaction that have shaped our civilizations to this day.
Most base their decisions on quantitative indicators, such as demographic expansion, to measure their city’s success.
Today, many are doubtful of long-term sustainability.
The challenges facing urban centres can be external (such as changes in trading patterns), but also internal (inability to adapt and organize themselves to meet new challenges).
We’re beyond “peak” with more than oil. Peak means half way. What’s left is more expensive to get at. So, it’s no longer cheap.
It behooves us to prepare voluntarily to change and not to wait until events overtake us.
There are three options: Continue as we are guzzling finite resources; hang on to our current standards by only changing few aspects of consumerism; or change, willingly, profoundly, radically.
A voluntary profound change by tomorrow is unlikely. How about a baby step?
Shift from a global economy to a village economy. Consider that there are three kinds of cash in a community – staying, leaving and coming.
Be a locavore – eat food produced locally. Include credit unions, local restaurants, farmer’s markets, use local businesses, etc. There are surprises only to be discovered. For example, a couple single-handedly built an amazing cheese factory.
Find things. Share them. Keep more cash here. It’s a start.
Change is coming. Embrace it. Anticipate it. These are the rational things to do.
Victor Blazevic
Nanaimo
