Cheer up, Boulder
published in the Boulder Daily Camera, June 25, 2017
Here we are at the beginning of summer in one of the most beautiful spots on earth. Summer is starting out a hot one – probably thanks to global warming – but, hey, it's a dry heat, as they say. We look forward to the best months of the year to be outdoors and enjoy the feast of plenty that our home in the Rockies offers us.
And, Boulder's not just a pretty face – we live in a neighborhood of great prosperity with Boulder County having the lowest unemployment rate in Colorado, the state that has the lowest unemployment rate in America.
But, if you're tired of working for The Man and feel like starting a business, Boulder is still the place. Got a good idea? Boulder has the talent to bring the idea to life and the investors to help you nurture your animal spirits with their money and wisdom, all leading Inc. Magazine to call Boulder, "an entrepreneurial powerhouse like no other."
If there is a land of opportunity anywhere in the world, we live in it.
And, to top it off, the Rockies are playing baseball like they want to win the World Series, and they're doing it with great pitching. If you need proof that God is shining Her light on us at this moment, this would be it.
So how come everybody seems so grumpy?
Maybe I read the newspaper too much or maybe I'm too willing engage my friends in conversations about issues of local and national importance, but Boulderites are not a happy bunch right now. In a healthy society, we're supposed to engage one another not just as a form of entertainment but also as a way to help us better understand the world and the choices we face. But, right now, it's hard to discuss any of these things around here without generating anger, insults, and the occasional hairball.
It seems that we're having a hard time reconciling this wonderful present we live in with the seemingly horrid future that awaits us. What gives?
Sure, the national political scene with that Crazy Guy in charge is disconcerting. Be nice if he would just shut up for a while so we could all take a break from having to endure his latest assault on our sensibilities. But, it should be clear by now that our rookie politician who landed the Presidency and moved to Washington shared some experiences with Gulliver and his travels. Remember how Gulliver awoke from a nap after landing in Lilliput and found that the Lilliputians had tied up and staked him to stop him from causing trouble? Aside from his thumbs that seem to be hard to tie, our President has been given the full Gulliver treatment since landing in Washington. Our system of checks and balances is doing its job.
Yeah, he can still do things that seem catastrophic to matters that Boulderites care deeply about, like bailing out of the Paris Agreement. But, if you really want to change the climate, actions speak louder than words. So, we should at least feel good that America's actions over the past ten years have reduced our carbon output by over 12%, making America the leader in the industrialized world. Dumping the Paris accord was embarrassing but, in balance, we are doing a better job than most in really addressing the problem. That counts.
Plus, we would be kidding ourselves to blame all of our grumpiness on the President – we have our own problems here in Boulder, too. The past few years have seen the beginning of a battle between the generations in Boulder with the young punks coming to town and flexing their muscles against the prudes and old fogies who have run this town for decades. Plus, housing prices are through the roof and no one can move here. These are real issues that deserve real thought and offer no easy answers.
But, as we debate Boulder's future, we should consider the root of these problems – Boulder has become one of America's most sought after locations where many of America's young and brightest want to come and settle.
So, Boulder's biggest problem is that Boulder is a great place. Ponder that thought as you breathe deeply and repeat the Serenity Prayer a few times.
Panic, resistance, and vitriol are fun for a while, but eventually they get old and counterproductive if you're really trying to change the world. Plus, it makes you feel lousy. Who needs that?
Cheer up, Boulder. It's a wonderful world, and nowhere more so than in Boulder, Colorado. That won't be changing anytime soon.
Here we are at the beginning of summer in one of the most beautiful spots on earth. Summer is starting out a hot one – probably thanks to global warming – but, hey, it's a dry heat, as they say. We look forward to the best months of the year to be outdoors and enjoy the feast of plenty that our home in the Rockies offers us.
And, Boulder's not just a pretty face – we live in a neighborhood of great prosperity with Boulder County having the lowest unemployment rate in Colorado, the state that has the lowest unemployment rate in America.
But, if you're tired of working for The Man and feel like starting a business, Boulder is still the place. Got a good idea? Boulder has the talent to bring the idea to life and the investors to help you nurture your animal spirits with their money and wisdom, all leading Inc. Magazine to call Boulder, "an entrepreneurial powerhouse like no other."
If there is a land of opportunity anywhere in the world, we live in it.
And, to top it off, the Rockies are playing baseball like they want to win the World Series, and they're doing it with great pitching. If you need proof that God is shining Her light on us at this moment, this would be it.
So how come everybody seems so grumpy?
Maybe I read the newspaper too much or maybe I'm too willing engage my friends in conversations about issues of local and national importance, but Boulderites are not a happy bunch right now. In a healthy society, we're supposed to engage one another not just as a form of entertainment but also as a way to help us better understand the world and the choices we face. But, right now, it's hard to discuss any of these things around here without generating anger, insults, and the occasional hairball.
It seems that we're having a hard time reconciling this wonderful present we live in with the seemingly horrid future that awaits us. What gives?
Sure, the national political scene with that Crazy Guy in charge is disconcerting. Be nice if he would just shut up for a while so we could all take a break from having to endure his latest assault on our sensibilities. But, it should be clear by now that our rookie politician who landed the Presidency and moved to Washington shared some experiences with Gulliver and his travels. Remember how Gulliver awoke from a nap after landing in Lilliput and found that the Lilliputians had tied up and staked him to stop him from causing trouble? Aside from his thumbs that seem to be hard to tie, our President has been given the full Gulliver treatment since landing in Washington. Our system of checks and balances is doing its job.
Yeah, he can still do things that seem catastrophic to matters that Boulderites care deeply about, like bailing out of the Paris Agreement. But, if you really want to change the climate, actions speak louder than words. So, we should at least feel good that America's actions over the past ten years have reduced our carbon output by over 12%, making America the leader in the industrialized world. Dumping the Paris accord was embarrassing but, in balance, we are doing a better job than most in really addressing the problem. That counts.
Plus, we would be kidding ourselves to blame all of our grumpiness on the President – we have our own problems here in Boulder, too. The past few years have seen the beginning of a battle between the generations in Boulder with the young punks coming to town and flexing their muscles against the prudes and old fogies who have run this town for decades. Plus, housing prices are through the roof and no one can move here. These are real issues that deserve real thought and offer no easy answers.
But, as we debate Boulder's future, we should consider the root of these problems – Boulder has become one of America's most sought after locations where many of America's young and brightest want to come and settle.
So, Boulder's biggest problem is that Boulder is a great place. Ponder that thought as you breathe deeply and repeat the Serenity Prayer a few times.
Panic, resistance, and vitriol are fun for a while, but eventually they get old and counterproductive if you're really trying to change the world. Plus, it makes you feel lousy. Who needs that?
Cheer up, Boulder. It's a wonderful world, and nowhere more so than in Boulder, Colorado. That won't be changing anytime soon.