dkSez : : : : : : Don Kahle’s blog

Accepting responsibility is just one more act of everyday heroism we should be able to ask of our police officers. Instead, we blame the system, arguing that everyone shares responsibility, so nobody has to own it.

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If a chicken and a pig get together to make some ham and eggs, the chicken’s involved, but the pig has to be committed.

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Busy storefronts have merchants inside. They open their doors and sweep their sidewalks. They shoo away miscreants. They call the police when things get out of hand. Empty buildings don’t do any of that. Empty buildings cause most of the trouble downtown, yet their owners pay less for the services that aim to keep downtown safe, clean and attractive.

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Wandering through the Lane County fairgrounds this time of year, I often feel like a fly on a spin-art machine. Holiday Market is colorful and dizzying, in equal measure.

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Shelter and clothing keep humans warm by covering them from the outside. But food isn’t warmth until the body processes it. Likewise, respect is a fuel that can be converted into dignity — another warmth.

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Our mothers meant well when they warned us not to trust strangers, but true hospitality requires that we forget that lesson, or temper it with courage. If we really want diversity, strangers can help us more than our friends. But we don’t know any strangers. All we know is not to trust them.

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Local designers have the skills to build beautiful buildings, but they won’t get built without the permission of the clients. When it comes to publicly financed buildings, that’s you and me.

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As long as a newspaper’s owners might find themselves behind you in the check-out line at your favorite grocery store, you have an influence that citizens in other cities have lost.

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Young people settle in places where they see opportunity. Saturday Market provides that when it allows anyone to hang out a custom-crafted shingle, even if it’s made of cardboard and crayons. You can start a business in Eugene for less than $100. If you have the drive and the wits, you can succeed.

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When it was built in the 1980s, there was hope that it would spark redevelopment, but its central downtown location didn’t attract commerce, and the adjacent conference hotel has probably not improved so much as stayed the same.

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