i can walk slowly
i can sleep upside down like a bat
i can talk in all the languages
i can understand poetry
and robbery
i can eat fish
i can regulate atoms
i am understandably amused with certain songs
i am underneath the boot
i'm a priest
i

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Live where you walk, walk where you live

We've known it for years - oil is limited, demand is growing, and the exhaust is killing us. On the national and global scale, new technologies and treaties are being developed to help solve the problem, but these solutions will take years or decades before we see any significant changes on the street level. Meanwhile, it's up to normal citizens like us to work on short term change by re-evaluating our lifestyles. In other words, drive less, walk more, and shop local. I recommend finding a good walking district.



Just a few years ago, living in a walking district was a luxury. Sure, it was more expensive, but like plasma TVs make some people feel better about their lives, exercise and community helped me feel better about my own. These days, living in a walking district is just smart money. I save over $100 per month in gas and get exercise to boot. You'd be surprised at the difference it makes in your life when you give up the Mission Valley traffic maze in exchange for a walk through the Farmer's Market once a week.

I was first turned on to the idea of a walking life when I lived in Ocean Beach. I'd walk to People's Food Co-Op for groceries or to Winston's to catch a show. I'd hit up the OB Townhouse for hashbrowns on a Saturday morning and follow it up with coffee and conversation in the shade of Jungle Java's bamboo-framed plant collection. I'd shop at the Buffalo Exchange and usually all it would cost me is some clothes I had stopped wearing months ago. There's a summer Street Fair, and a well-lit Christmas tree on the beach in December. In Ocean Beach, you won't see very many under-walked dogs.

We're fortunate to live in San Diego where there are several well-established walking districts - Ocean Beach, Hillcrest, Normal Heights, and Little Italy are a few of my favorites - and anyone willing to walk through a few neighborhood blocks can afford to live nearby without breaking the bank. What is more, the idea is spreading - San Marcos is building its own "downtown" from scratch (next step: trade the Escalades for Civics). I say let's pump up the momentum - by either moving to walking districts or creating our own where we live.

I know moving may seem drastic, but like it or not, the world is changing now faster than ever, and like those of us who are just now trying to sell our SUVs are finding out, there really is such a thing as "too late". Anyone want a '93 Ford Explorer? Didn't think so.

Originally published at SanDiegoLovesGreen.com

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Catch Karl!

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The Example We Set

Since World War II, America has been the de facto leader of the free world. Today, the scales are tipping. Globalization is evening out the playing field, and, although it seems as though our economy is faltering, really it's just the rest of the world who is getter richer. A global free trade market is spreading out the wealth. India and China are each growing an enormous, car-driving middle class. That's what prosperity looks like. Cars and KFC.

Today, we are still in position to be a leader of the world, but all signs point to a waning of our power in the coming decades - or more accurately, a growth of power abroad. Some call it the end of an empire, and history supports that idea (e.g. Rome, Spain, England, et al).

The question I would like to ask is: What do we want our legacy to be from our time as the a global superpower? If the empire ended today, we'd have a spotty reputation at best. Fifty years of perpetual wars, cold and hot. A foreign policy of bullying instead of collaboration. Hyper-decadence and skyrocketing obesity coupled with weak foreign aid programs to help people in nations that aren't as well-off as we are. A nonchalant attitude towards torture and the Geneva Convention. If the empire ended today, we would have to admit that we have sent a bad example abroad - and we would most likely pay for it once someone else takes the lead.

As a nation, it is imperative that we set a good example. For, as history tells us, it won't be our planet forever. In a thousand years, it could be Brazil that is the worldwide superpower, or Russia, or China. If we neglect global Good Neighbor standards, we are making the statement that it's OK to get away with what you can. We are encouraging the next world leaders to push the boundaries of civility and help out only when necessary.

I would not want to be on the receiving end of our foreign policy, but if the next superpower takes our example, our descendants some day inevitably will be.

Here's to preventative maintenance.

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Live Drawing

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Belief

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Feudalism

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