Responsibility to our community

(And how powerful we really are)

In the Page, The Web of Existence, I explained how all things are in fact connected and I attempted, through a basic excercise to give you a way of seeing this interconnectedness. In this page I want to share a simple and important thought. If you are reading this now, I hope it is because you feel a connection with what you may have read on some of my other pages, if not that then I hope that it is because you feel a need to be involved with or to help your community, which shows that on some level you already see that you are an important part of your community.

Western "Civilization" has got us all so far removed from one another that we are slowly heading toward a solitary existence. This has come about due to Industrialization, the creation of the nuclear family and an education system that no longer emphasizes the importance of community. All these things have begun to split us up and this split is partly responsible for many modern "disorders" such as depression, fear of crowds and sociopathic disorders. Further to that, the lack of community means that there are not so many people who can notice signs of these things let alone care, treat or cure the people suffering from them.

Not so long ago, it wasn't just mum, dad and the kids that occupied a house, it was often the grandparents, and in some cases, the aunts uncles and cousins too. These family groups worked well with the grandparents watching over and educating the kids while the parents worked, the kids learned about work and the parents also learned about childcare so when the grandparents passed over and the kids had kids of their own, the cycle would start again. Although some familites were isolated from the community, even from the people next door, it was still a lot closer to the way our ancestors lived. Before this time our ancestors lived in small communities of a few families, all linked by marriage and blood called clans. Everyone knew eachother, everyone came together to help eachother, everyone had a place doing what they could do best with the skills they were given. What kept these communities together wasn't always love however, more often than not it was survival.

Once, not long ago, small villages, hamlets and small towns would come together to work out in the fields for the harvest, some people would cut the wheat, some would thresh it, some would bale the hay and everyone put hard work into what they ate. Then one day a terrible thing happened, the invention of industrial farming and its machinary. The combine harvester could do in a few hours with two men, what would take an entire village three days. electric mills didn't need people to push them, trucks didn't need cart drivers to carry the grain to market and suddenly everyone was made a little less important to the community. They didn't have work and so families had to send a few members off to work in the big towns and cities, or to go and get university degrees, and many went off to join the army, there was of course war coming under the flag of the old solar symbol, now named the swastika. The first and second world wars did however bring people back together, for a short time, the harvests were doubly as important as they were now feeding people that had gone to give their lives in our defence, our sons, brothers, fathers and uncles. Many of whom were never seen again. And when the second world war was over, in those families that had lost people, the other members had to go out and find work and so eventually, there weren't many members living in a house. This became habit and now this habit has become so much a part of us, we don't even recall those days of communal togetherness.

Humans are social animals, we need community and without it we feel lost, lonely and depressed. We seek to distract ourselves from that feeling by immersing ourselves in television, sex, drugs or fantasy worlds. and while we sit at home being distracted, we give no thought to the person that lives below us. "We've never even spoken to them, how were we to know that it was a little old lady whose husband died to defend a dying society so we could live? How were we supposed to know that she was so afraid of the kids in the street that she wouldn't go out at all? How were we supposed to know the power companies cut her off because her pension didn't cover the cost of her heating? How were we supposed to know she'd died three days before they found her, of a broken heart? Oh well, she wasn't part of our family and as long as our family is ok, we don't care"

That's not just a sad tale, it's an everyday occurence. How many people care why the tramp in the town centre became a tramp, he smells bad and talks to himself, he's not normal so he must be dangerous.

As more and more people moved into the cities and towns and as they grew pushing people closer and closer together, and as the population grew, more jobs were needed, but these jobs weren't one where the emphasis was on teamwork, despite the fact they preach it in their meetings. In the world after the great wars, people were desperate for a job so they could bring in money in order to pay the bills, this desperation turned to a territorial, dog eat dog way of life where everyone strived not to help their colleagues, rather to help themselves.

That little old lady helped her community to make uniforms, treat wounded soldiers and bring in food so that Britain could remain Britain. If it wasn't for her and all like her, we'd be living under a Nazi rule. Our hearts have grown black, cold and hard and we are ceasing to be human. And yet, when we lie in our deathbed, alone, we don't look back and say, if only I'd spent more time with the people around me, they'd be here comforting me at the last, we think "Hmph, nobody cares about me."

Well, I care. The Wandering Stag Seed Group puts an emphasis on Community rejuvenation. We make an effort to get to know the people around us, from other parents at the kids schools, to the people that share our street, our city and whoever else we can. If there's someone that needs their house painting, we get involved, if we see litter, we pick it up, we'll help people with their shopping. It all takes time out of our day, but a smile and a cup of tea means infinitely more than £5 an hour and no thanks.

One of the most common things I hear when I talk about this is "But what can I do? I can't do anything and there's not a real sense of community where I live" My answer is "well make one". YOU ARE IMPORTANT and the world needs you. Also, you are so much more powerful than you realise. A single act of kindness can change a persons life forever. That person will tell others and they might seek you out for help, or they might be inspired to do the same YOU have the ability to change the world.

Also

ONE PERSON CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE, MANY PEOPLE CAUSE A REVOLUTION

The best place to start is by volunteering, maybe for your local charity shop, or in a care home, from there great things can happen.