Written by Charlie Danaher
As I watched the aftermath of the Marshall Fire and the reaction after Xcel Energy’s recent preemptive power shutoffs, I was saddened by the seeming deterioration of our social compact.
There was actually a time, for centuries, when humans were aware of the risks involved in everyday life, especially in big pursuits. And we happily accepted them. History is full of examples of our society coming together and enduring difficult times with the understanding that we are working for something greater than just ourselves. There was an inherent recognition that we were all in this struggle together.
Consider:
• From 1931 to 1936, approximately 100 people died during the construction of Hoover Dam, one of the greatest construction achievements of the 20th century.
• Pony Express passenger advertising captures the spirit of the American West. You have to be an expert rider who is willing to risk death every day. ”
No one makes light of these deaths, but it seems that people at the time understood that doing great things is not easy or completely safe.
Perhaps most famously, in a speech at Rice University on September 12, 1962, President JFK told the world: Because it’s easy, but it’s difficult. Because the goal helps organize and measure the best of our energies and skills. ”
As we head into 2022, our attitudes are evolving, and not for the better. We seem to have developed a mindset of having rights. That we are somehow entitled to all the fruits of progress without paying any price.without noticing the accident happen, And when, on rare occasions, unpredictable and disastrous acts of God occur, we try to blame someone else. The ideal person is someone with money.
Instead of feeling happy because the Pony Express passengers have luxuries they never dreamed of, we feel happy and look to someone else to blame for our problems.
300 charges against Xcel Energy in the wake of the Marshall Fire, which was reported to have started on the grounds of the Twelve Tribes cult (and which is only suspected to have been caused by downed Xcel power lines). A nearby lawsuit was filed, resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars.
To avoid missing out on the benefits of litigation, the Boulder County Commission, the City of Superior, the City of Louisville, the Boulder County Department of Public Health, the Boulder Valley School District, and the public entities of Superior Metropolitan recommend that everyone in the First District: I jumped on the suit trend.
Understandably, Xcel Energy executives, newly aware of the potentially huge costs of such litigation, were anxious to avoid liability for the wildfires. , did what any logical person would do – they played it safe and acted to avoid further accidents.
“We want to be clear that our top priority continues to be public safety,” Robert Kenney, president of Xcel Energy Colorado, said in a letter regarding public safety power outages (PSPS). ing.
Can anyone blame Excel for this kind of reaction? In some ways, we all do everything from doing amazing things like trying to ensure uninterrupted power in inclement weather to playing it safe. Could it be that we have been complicit in this evolution?
But I wonder, should Public security Is it always our top priority?Shouldn’t we have dared to be brave? building Why not go to the Hoover Dam or go to the moon because someone might die? Should the Pony Express passengers have stayed home and not risked traveling through dangerous territory?
It seems that progress has been replaced by safety as our North Star. Conflict and conflict have replaced our sense of oneness.
I To tell, We can do better.
Charlie Danaher is a 33-year Boulder County resident, mechanical engineer, Catholic, and father of five. and Frequent contributor to local publications on freedom and faith topics and Other social topics.
