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Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Walking On Evergreen

As I walk along Evergreen with my dog, Lucy, I meet many new neighbors. A few weeks ago, I met a lovely woman who lives on Reed. During our conversation, I asked her what her thoughts were on the "sidewalk issue." Being that she was a senior, and since one of "selling points" of this project has been that "it will help seniors" - I was a bit surprised when she said she was not in favor of the sidewalk "at all." During our conversation, we introduced ourselves, and she recognized my name from some of Mr. Sands' emails. Also, during our conversation, we both agreed that we didn't want a raised sidewalk on Evergreen Avenue, but we didn't want to be overcome with anger about it.
So, I did some research and found an article on how to "honor" anger :
 "Anger is a very powerful emotion that can be used in many positive ways to motivate us toward change, to strengthen us against our adversaries and to protect us against pain. Anger warns us that there is a problem or a potential threat. At the same time, it energizes us to face the problem or meet the threat and provides us with the power to overcome the obstacle..." 

"Forgiveness is not a self-righteous or Polyanna-like turning of the other cheek or a condoning of abhorrent behavior. Neither is it forgetting..."

9 comments:

  1. Soon to be seventy, I still walk Evergreen without any trouble. Of course at sixty-nine I'm still a youngster compared to other Homestead seniors who, in their eighties, not only walk Evergreen, but also hike the trails of the watershed and climb Mt. Tam — without need for any sidewalk!

    Department of Public Works' transparent attempts to manipulate us to win support for its hated development project is shameful and a slap in the face to us seniors. It is predatory, contemptible and sleazy, but not at all out of character with what one rightly ought to expect from those from DPW who promised in July of 2010 that they would not force the project on us if we didn't want it. What will DPW promise us next to get its way, milk and cookies? Wheelchairs?

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  2. Despite being in the tiny minority, though surely the most vocal (and looney) of them, Frank, no need to waste your time with this, Mari doesn't care what you think. You don't live on Evergreen.

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  3. As I've said before - "anonymous" - I welcome you to step out of the dark shadows and have a real conversation. I actually do care about what all our neighbors think - which is why I have done all this volunteer work to open the lines of communication. Communication builds community - NOT concrete.

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  4. Poor, misguided Mari. You're obviously mistaken. You may think you care, but you really don't because . . . because . . . because "Anonymous" (Spineless) says so!

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  5. Oh come now Mari, your secret is laid bare. You only tollerate Frank/Charles and their "pathetic & bitter, albeit incoherent, rants" because they agree with you on the sidewalk. If Frank were to admit he strolls down Evergreen to get some soft serve frozen fermented milk products and would prefer a sidewalk to keep him safe, you'd jump down his throat and call him on his, what was the word used - "disgusting" demeanor and tell him his views are irrelevant because he doesn't live on Evergreen.

    Silly people.

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  6. Travel in peace, my friend. I wish you good health and happiness. Life is too short.

    "Buddhist teachings say that at the heart of the vicious cycle of samsara, the wheel of becoming, are the three poisons, the three root kleshas: greed, hatred and ignorant confusion. The main klesha that fuels this whole dualism of attachment and aversion which drives us is ignorance, or delusion and confusion. From ignorance comes greed - avarice, desire, lust, attachment and all the rest. Also from ignorance comes anger, aggression, cruelty and violence. These two poisons are the basic conflicting forces within us—attachment and aversion. They come from ignorance, and they're really not that different: "Get away" and "I want" are very similar, just like pushing away and pulling towards; and both cause anger to arise. Anger is often singled out as the most destructive of the kleshas, because of how easily it degenerates into aggression and violence."

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  7. Really Mari? Quoting Buddah?

    It amazes me how you disrespect some people in private but agree with them publicly just because they support the sidewalk. And you then go and quote the enlightened one? That's called 'chutzpah'.

    Really, it's just ridiculous how you say people who support the sidewalk but don't live on Evergreen shouldn't have a say in it - but then are silent when if those people are opposed to the sidewalk.

    Just give it a rest.

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  8. We obviously are having a failure to communicate. You are too funny! I was quoting Buddha because that helps ME to not get angry when confronted by someone who is obviously trying to get me to argue. I'm not going to argue with you.
    We all could use a little enlightenment once in a while, don't you think?
    See you soon, my friend. have a good night!

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  9. Oh - and fyi - I've never said anything to anyone in this neighborhood that I haven't said to Frank or Charlie directly.
    I honestly don't understand why anyone would work so hard to keep Evergreen residents in the dark about this issue - working to FORCE a concrete slab with curbs and gutters on this neighborhood - which will add pollutants to the creek - and the Bay -
    When we could be working together to preserve our natural paths - and create something that makes more sense for this community. And for future generations of Homestead Valley.

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