Emergencies, Frameshifts and What They Tell Us About Our Place in the World

“Becoming a person of place makes long-term investments desirable, because the future becomes more valuable to you. Those who have committed to a place, an ecosystem, a community, feel those as an extension of themselves.

“They cheer for their place like a favorite sports team, they envision its success beyond and after themselves. To the unpracticed this may sound scary, to tether your heart and being to something you can’t fully control. But down that path lies great reward. There are particular joys afforded to being a member of a community, of finding esteem in your peers, of contributing what you can, of seeing wildlife thrive, fruit drip from trees, of being helped by your neighbors when in need, of tangibly witnessing the results of your efforts. ...

“The formation of intimate relationships depends on four elements: proximity, frequency, intensity, and duration. We won’t save places we don’t love. We can’t love places we don’t know. And we don’t know places we haven’t learned.”