Car parking VsTree Fellers and #53 Cynicism

Ealing is well known for being one of London's leafier suburbs and maintaining the appearance is something which requires some effort both in organisation and in the actual physical reality. Argyle road which runs pretty much between the Uxbridge Road and the A40 has a number of trees that are lopped every two or three years. Increasingly the challenge for the guys (invariably as far as I can see men in this case) is being able to get to  the trees because of parked cars. The increased cost of rail travel along with the UK residents desire to be away from their fellow commuters means that car parking on the outskirts of London has reached epidemic proportions. Where I live strong local lobbying has meant that 'resident parking' will shortly be introduced this will have the effect of reducing the practicality of commuters using residential streets for free parking - and making them use streets even further away from where they'd like to park (by tube and rail stations).

Is this a good thing, in one street nearby a homeowner has taken to putting bollards in the spot outside their house when they're using their car?

 I suppose it doesn't help that there are so many 2 (or more) car households and that so few people and (myself included) so few people using the garages they have.

I guess this is one of many challenges we face in living in a world with other people and accommodating them (and they accommodating us), generally (in my view) there's too much intervention by government/local authorities but unless we speak to one another then such problems will remain unresolved, apart from the irritation the lack of affordable local parking gives the ' out-of-town'  and 'big-boys'  like Tesco's Asda etc. an unfair advantage over smaller high street shops.

 

Big Idea Number 53 Cynicism

Many of us relish being termed Cynics thinking the world weary badge when attached by others behove upon us the virtues of wisdom and experience but in truth Cynicism means much more than a lowly judgement on our fellow man.

Crofton's book pointed me at Antisthenes said to be the originator of the Cynic philosophy and Diogenes famed for both living in a barrel and  asking Alexander the Great to move out of his light. Cynics believe broadly that we (people in society) are stopped from leading 'honest' lives as we compromise and lie to reach an accommodation.

It may be interesting to reflect while we consider hedonism Cynicism etcetera how these 'strands' have ultimately evolved from  Aristotle and Socrates and are often a difference of emphasis and perspective that does not necessarily imply a complete break with the founding figures.
Here's the In Our Time on the subject and a really good summary of Diogenes (who didn't write down his philosophy but lived it)  below.