Dividend of prosperity should be preservation

Our first connection to the world is where we sleep, cook, mend our socks, entertain, garden, where we seek solace in obtuse times: it is the house. The neighbors become like family.

It is from where we project, internally within us, the wonders of the City. The foothills carry little meaning if we do not have our own roof.

Boulder has priceless neighborhoods, many a century and a quarter old.

The sense of history is palpable in the beauty and serenity of the homes in our “ancient” neighborhoods.

We adapt to “moving” by thinking of the house as a money-figure. The pay-off can come in different ways; I need not dwell on it. The emotional burden, however, is profound. We try not to think of the great loss to our neighbors we leave behind. Everyone puts on a bold face.

The City governance thinks of land, even a small piece of it laid bare by razing a small portion of our heritage, in terms of revenue. Should they not consider preservation of what we have left of our historic heritage. That would be politics of excellence. The dividend of prosperity should be preservation, not more “empty” prosperity.

Prosperity is transient but history nourishes us forever.

— Rishi Raj, Boulder