Re: “Residents pack Kootenay Lake ferry meeting”
Human society is increasingly composed of specialists who analyze everything into smaller and smaller parts. The word analysis comes from a Greek word meaning to undo. So we humans become very good at taking things apart; not so good at understanding the whole, or putting things back together.
Looking at the proposed Balfour ferry terminal relocation, it is easy to understand how an accountant (no need for another ferry, saving money), an economist (shorter sailing time, more room for growth), and an engineering firm (making a pristine piece of land productive) find value in a Queens Bay site. These certified smart people expect to solve all problems by analysis.
All of the positives associated with relocation deal with the material or mechanical while the negatives deal with the creaturely — the residents and business owners whose lives and livelihoods will be disrupted. The industrial progress that a new terminal would bring comes at the expense of life, place, community, and even the economy.
Before we begin destroying what is whole, we need to be sure we have done a full accounting of the damage that will result from our tinkering. We may just learn that preserving the integrity of what we have is the wisest way to go.
Michael Jessen, Longbeach
