Quote:
Originally Posted by FireFly
If I could find a decent job and reasonable rent in a different city, I'd be out of here. Don't get me wrong, I love this city, but it seems that either the people moving here are idiots, or people have become idiots with more people around them. The city has not dealt well with growth.
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There is still alot this city and area has to offer, but I am finding that while being in the middle of such a hot economy, people tend to have blinders put on them. A lot of the charm retreats as people fight for their piece of the pie and then consider what they are to do with it. There is so much going on in such a short time span that it is no wonder that some people are fed up. Yet, how on earth can you expect people not to do what they are doing right now?
I was born and raised here and it is starting to cross my mind more and more what life would be like elsewhere. Part of it is the recent hustle and bustle taking away from what we used to know Calgary as, the other part of it is the doomsayers always warning that "what goes up, must come down". Obviously, no one wants to squander the boom this time around, and no one knows when it is going to go down (but I think we all understand that it will leave someday). Deep down, my considerations come more from the worry about losing what I have fallen into moreso than the quality of the city deteriorating. I still believe that this city is great and that the people who live here with me share compassion and love for each other and the town they call home.
What Firefly said captures it for me - we are simply not responding to growth well. This is upsetting to me, because it in trying times (and having the economy anywhere but down the middle qualifies as trying times for me) the true, underlying character of people (or groups of people) come to light. I used to like to think that Calgary was a fine community and a great place to live - now it seems everyone is only concerned about money. I am no different, as this is my prime focus right now, so who am I to complain? I try not to - but there is definitely a part inside of me that is hungry for something that I am not getting here right now. I am too immature to know what that is, I suppose, but the pangs are obvious.
I think what it comes down to is that we are seeing a conflict between self and community. I have Bronco as a mayor because he is enabling a rapid growth that does not have much thought put behind it, but who am I kidding if I say that there has been true resistance to how this city has been developed in the past 5 years?
I hope that more and more people come down from the high and can touch base with their fellow citizen and re-build some of the intangible "community" that has been neglected for the last few years. But as I bitch about this, I am drawn to the thought that "you must become the change you want to see in the world", so it is meaningless to put the responsibility on the weight of imaginary shoulders.
The point of my ramblings is that I think that deep down, the character of this city will cause people to pause and start to put more time and effort into each other, as opposed to themselves. It is necessary - in my mind it is the only way that Calgary (and Alberta) will truly prosper from the boom for a prolonged period of time.
Yet, I do not think that long term prosperity for Calgary is important to everyone that is here. The people that don't care are leaving - protecting the bounty that this windfall has afforded them. This is selfish, but can you blame them? Can you expect everyone to stay? Also, not everyone that is coming to this city or province to work have the intentions to make where they are going a better place to live.
I am urging that if you do feel that Calgary has lost its appeal and want it to change, keep the idea that you are working not only for yourself, but also to improve what you can for others in your heart every day and you will find that the city will be back to its old self in no time.