I, Me & Myself

Our neighborhood is going through a lot.  It started as a nuisance around a grocery store.  A few unwelcome, unsocial teenagers hanging out at this store that was placed right in the middle of beautiful, serene hills.  In the middle of a neighborhood that was known for well tended front yards and curbside flowers & fruit trees.  We need it for the convenience, said those in favor of building the store in the first place.  We told you this isn't going to be good, said those that had voted against.  

Days went by, and the neighborhood park became the next hangout.  People weren't comfortable going to this pristine patch of green nestled under hills after dark anymore.  Broken beer bottles strewn around, unruly behavior, blasting loud music late in the night were some of the ways miscreants made their presence (and boredom?) known.  What are you going to do about it? It seemed like they were asking.  Soon it was summer - yes, vacation! But guess what? As families returned to school, they found property had been vandalized.  Name boards, signs, room numbers, graffiti .........Sigh! And not many days passed when the neighborhood suddenly saw a series of burglaries happen.  In fact, they are still happening.  Families that have been residing here from many years ago don't recognize their surroundings anymore.  Metal gates, entry barricades, storm doors, motion detectors, cameras........name a security device for homes and you'll find it here.  

 On Saturday night, we went looking for a restaurant in downtown, wanting to try a new cuisine.  It's hard to believe, but all I saw were deserted streets, a couple making out at every turn, a street walker just outside this 4 star+ restaurant we were supposed to go to and two people exchanging "stuff" behind a car outside a chic looking apartment complex.  And a beggar in rags carrying lots of trash bags at a grocery store nearby.  Every part of this experience yelled out me- "Get away from here!"  As we sped out, I couldn't help but remember our own neighborhood. "Thank goodness, you can be sure not to find this kind of stuff where we live," I said to Papa Bear. In fact our neighborhood is pleasantly hustling and bustling, most part of the day and night!  Perhaps that's why it became a fertile breeding ground for criminals.  Perhaps that's why drugs have crept in much closer.  

As soon as I moved in here, almost instantly, I turned social activist.  For school funding, for cultural awareness, for following basic civic rules of not leaving cars unattended outside school gates, for social responsibility of volunteering, etc.  It isn't unfair to state that I saw a predominant - "I, me & myself" attitude. 

• My child's education is taken well care of in Kumon and other centers. 
• I can fund anything my child needs at school.  
• My child's' skills are being honed in art & music classes. 
• My time gets wasted in these meetings. 
• Yes, I will park here and leave - do what you can! 
• I will cut across lines because my time is more valuable than yours
• Miscreants in parks don't bother me - we rarely go to that park anyway. 
• I'm just here until we decide where we want to buy our house.  

These are the vibes I get almost everyday.   I want to communicate to those that send me these vibes just this:

There is no such person as someone else's child.  

They're all future Americans