Or maybe real question is whether a post should really be called a rant just because it expresses the author's negative but honest opinion about something.
A funny thing happened. For two years I have had this odd feeling about Vancouver, a city in which I have lived for over 25 years, and which I thought was a divine place to live. The feeling I had was that the place now was outright dingy and dirty and not a nice place anymore. Of course, initially I assumed that it was my mood or state of mind that made me see Vancouver in a different light. Because, a city can't just completely change overnight, right? When I cautiously voiced these 'observations' to others, I just got blank stares from some people, while others said something like "I know what you mean". When talking to one of my clients a while ago, he said something like "Something is wrong with this city, but I can't put my finger on it". And this is a person who has lived in Vancouver for a LONG time and whose opinion I highly respect.
Every time I went traveling somewhere and came back to Vancouver the aversion I felt seemed worse. Then I heard from my friend and foremost ferry consultant Alan. He also moved to Vancouver roughly 25 years ago and studied at UBC. He always called Vancouver "my beloved city". This July he spent a few days in Vancouver and I received an e-mail containing the line "Greetings from Vancouver. This used to be my beloved city. What the f&&k has happened to the tranquility and civility?" Now, Alan is a person whose opinion I HIGHLY respect! If he feels that way, I should have trusted my gut much earlier ;-)
No comments:
Post a Comment