Papers and Crosswalks

I'm working on a paper about the Denver Living Streets Initiative and in doing so, I've been reading some of the criticisms of multimodal transportation initiatives.  I do this so that I don't find myself flat-footed in a bubble of the choir planners preach to about all the amazing awesome ideas they (me someday) have to fix an entire sector of societal woes.  But some of the criticisms cause me to falter in my humanitarian faith.  It is beyond me that so many people are so quick to find criticism in new ideas without considering alternatives to those ideas.  This is one of my biggest pet peeves.  I am completely okay with constructive, well considered and thought out criticism of ideas but to simply dismiss ideas and stick to the same status quo simply because you cannot fathom the abstract idea of what change might look like is small minded.  I don't believe in not trying simply because something might fail.  Failure is an opportunity to fix the idea to become a better and more useful idea.

Doing nothing is not an idea I can come to terms with in any part of my life.  I think the people in my life have come to understand this about me.  A personality flaw or otherwise, that is who I am and I like that about me.  I am strong and opinionated.  I am compassionate and smart.  I will tell you when I think you're being shitty and I will thank you when you are kind and find a way to repay and pay forward the kindness.  I will be successful because I don't stop trying new ideas until I find something that works.  Spent costs do not phase me like they do other people; nor do regrets.

However, I do believe if one of you shitty drivers who seem to have no concept or value of human life takes my life because you do not understand that you are driving a one ton metal death machine and are oblivious to your surroundings and distractedly take my life, you will change your own life in a terrible way.  Slow down.  Look before you turn.  Understand that the crosswalk is not where you park waiting to turn and that it is very dangerous to push me into oncoming traffic because you can't stop before the giant white lines indicating cross walk.  And please, if you impede my ability to safely cross the street in a heavily pedestrian oriented crosswalk, don't flip me off as you drive away.  That makes you a giant asshole.