Raise the Hammer

At the risk of pointing out the obvious...while shucking my Gloves of Sarcasm and Cape of Cynicism...and not wanting to diminish the intent of this article for a second...

In considering the seemingly endless chunks of revenue-generating empty land (ie parking lots) in Downtown Hamilton, does anyone else experience almost flu symptoms-like sensations (light headedness, a certain transcendency of thought) akin to hope?

Though I am a staunch critic of how things have (not) been handled in the downtown core for 25 years, and I've shed tears on numerous occasions (I'm old enough to remember the most-often-forgotten-or-ignored tragedies of us losing two Thomas Lamb cinemas on the same street almost four decades ago now), more than this, I look at the potential, the possibilities of Downtown Hamilton and actually feel uplifted. For me, the area is a blank canvas. A neglected, abandoned, even abused one, but blank nonetheless. Meaning, to the optimist, 'possessing opportunity and chance only limited by the observer's imagination'.

No, I don't have any answers, I would never claim to have sufficient enough insight as to how the area could best be reborn; I was able to propose redesigns of Downtown Stoney Creek, but Hamilton's scope is beyond my remit at the moment. (I am, however, aware of some people who are capable of bringing to bear substantial insight and ingenuity to the notion. I'm hoping we'll be hearing a lot more from them in 2011) But I'm genuinely hopeful about the long-term potential of Downtown Hamilton. If we can only hold on long enough to witness its unfolding...and find ways to inform the process, participate in it.

I'm not asking anyone to catch this fluey high with me, merely to consider that while as things are presently designed, we're not 'players' in any of this, not in any real sense...yet as much as I believe this, I also believe that we have far more capability to effect the kind of change we're interested in seeing than we realize. How can this be true? The first thing I'd recommend considering is the verité of this expression:

'Live with a cripple long enough, and you learn how to limp.'

We need to unlearn our 'afflictions', begin creating a new mindset, and empower ourselves.

Hat's off to Editor Ryan and RTH's efforts continue to keep us talking.