Meaningful graffiti.

One of my favorite things to do in New York City is to search for interesting graffiti. Sometimes, the words sprawled across a wall can be so relevant and poignant.  The red letters saying, “Why do we just accept things” makes me wonder just that. Here’s just a couple of things in my own neck of the woods that recently have me wondering why. 

1.     Perhaps I’m ill-informed, but why will it cost $100,000 (yep that’s a tenth of a MILLION dollars) to install a traffic light on Main Street?

2.     The fate of Powder Ridge. If this were colonial times, we would all be up there with pitch forks aimed and ready for wasting our hard earned crop money on something that had no business plan before the town hastily purchased it. 

3.     Why must we accept the giant utility poles that ruin every landscape photo I have of this town so that Greenwich and New Canaan can have an extra few watts of energy?  Not only does it show our weak bargaining power, but it also adds extra editing time to remove the unsightly monstrosities with Photoshop.

4.     The school budget… Everyone whines after the fact, but no one goes to the meetings until it’s too late to have an effect. 

5.     Add your own. ___________________________________________________________________

We have become programmed. Without a thought, most just accept a fate whether we like it or not.  The scary thing is that most don’t do anything about the things that bother us.  Has our society become so obedient that we have lost our true sense of freedom? Our complacency can be destructive when it comes to things that affect ALL of us.  If we continue to accept mediocrity as a standard, then the truth is going to hurt as this ship sinks.  I understand why most stay uninvolved in our local or national issues.  We feel like NO ONE listens to us.  Issues will likely never be resolved if we continue to apply Newton’s theory of motion to life: Every object in a state of uniform motion tends to remain in that state of motion unless an external force is applied to it. But based on the noise volume at a Bunko party I went to the other night, I realized that just a few ladies could get pretty noisy when they want to be heard.  We can be an external force to be reckoned with.  When it comes to life, we all have similar plights. Somebody’s got to pick up the kids at CCD, make runs to the transfer station or put food on the table.   Just insert your plight into the space______________________.  As you zip back and forth through town, try to remove life’s blinders and imagine what this place would be like if each and every one of us took a personal interest in our collective issues.  The truth is, things would change.  While we may see some heckling or some wheeling and dealing right under our noses, it’s better than mediocrity.  I guarantee that there’s an issue out there just for you. When you get involved, you’ll get to know the people you share this space with. It feels refreshing to be connected. I personally picked the wellness issue and I am glad I did, because I think that this town has reaped some benefits from the effort. There you have it, my two cents worth. Kudos to those of you that don’t twiddle your thumbs. Today's "ordinary miracle", it's in your hands.