"Tragedy of Commons"

I am reading an article in Surfer magazine called "Localism Doesn't Work" and it struck a chord with me.

Basically, the writer (Brad Melekian) quotes Garrett Hardin's paper written in 1968 called "The Tragedy of Commons." The gist of it is that "individuals, motivated purely by their own self interest, will inevitably destroy a commonly held resource."

I've always been bothered by people who aren't aware of their surroundings. These are the fuckers who drive like they are the only ones on the road, or the ones who walk through the mall, oblivious to what's going on around them (like the fact they are moving at a pace about half of everyone else, creating a logjam of folks trying to get by them). Or these fuckers who won't let you merge; we all got places to be what fuck is 10 seconds to me in a ahead of you?

These people I call selfish. There is a common good. Now, I don't believe in total self sacrifice, but I believe in a balance. I look for and respond to people who are aware that there is something besides themselves in this world. If we shared equally, then all would be good. I realize that. And I would make that sacrifice, if everyone did it. Yeah, I could set the example, but I got a family to feed and a mortgage to pay. I am not Ghandi. But I want to be with these people who recognize that.

And I as I write this, I realize this might sound like socialism, but it's not. I believe in pulling your weight.

My dad, when I was a kid, used to say "I should be President" and I though, Dad, you pompous prick how you can say that. But now I get it. He always thought if everyone thought like he did......

I love my Dad. I wouldn't be where I am today without him. I attribute all my success in life to him.

The Road

I am reading The Road by Cormac McCarthy. I don't know why I picked this book to read. I read No Country for Old Men before I saw the movie. It was a good book. It was like a narrative to me. It was like someone was reading a narrative of each of these peoples lives that were intertwined. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the book, but it was very blunt, very minimalistic, and to me, very "ordinary", ordinary in the sense it was descriptive in the sense it was the day to day activity of these characters, except they were hiding money and killing folks (thinking of Pulp Fiction). For me, McCarthy is to literature what Quentin Tarantino is to film. That's the best analogy I have. Most folks have seen Tarantino films. Both, at the interpersonal level, are very gritty, very real. That's why I like it so much (McCarthy and Tarantino)

The Road is a post apocalyptic story. A man and his young son are making their way and surviving. I've read some pretty rough reviews of this one, but as I read it, I don't consider the lack of quotation, or the sparse dialogue, I consider how the story makes me feel, and it's one of fierce love (a father for his son), and a bleak, desperateness, against all odds. For me, and I think it's because I have a son (or children), I can empathize with what the main character feels, and the setting doesn't matter. And that's what makes me want to read on and on in this one. For me, the story is this father's love for his son, and the desperation he feels trying to protect his son from the horrors of this new world. Gut wrenching. I guess that's why I would consider it well written, because of the emotions it pulls from me.. But I would never recommend it to anyone who doesn't have children. I don't think they would get it. And who knows, I don't even know if McCarthy has kids, but he writes a decent story.