I stopped at a pioneer cemetery during a recent bike ride. It struck me that this cemetery was somehow worth getting off and examining. I have passed many traditional cemeteries without more than a sideways glance. The few dates and words on the tombstone provide the briefest encapsulation of an individual’s life. What makes a pioneer cemetery so remarkable to me is the story. Here are the remain of people who were living on the edge of civilization one hundred or more years ago. We continue to visit these sites and talk about their courage and struggles. In their journals we read how pioneers were often just trying to exist, not trying to make some larger social commentary by residing distal to larger population centers. Their attempts to thrive on the edge is what fills our conversations and imaginations.
Where are we being pioneers? What edge have we selected? What stories will outlive our work?
A room on the highest floor with a views may be provided for individuals with higher status in a hotel loyalty program. That perk is less treasured when the elevators stop operating or a tropical storm forces evacuations to lower floors. First and Business Class seats are usually clustered in the first rows of an airplane. These seats becomes less desirable when the air conditioning unit in the front of the plane fails and the temperature soars. Upgraded luxury cars are offered as perks to loyal rent-a-car customers. This upgrade becomes less remarkable when one has to refill the gas tank or a customer is assessed a congestion charge in a major city, a fee that is waived for smaller hybrid vehicles.
What-if-concepts 