When we think and act, in our home, occupation, affairs and community… do we act without regard to how our actions impact others?
“Right and wrong”… Living a “moral life.” Are these merely well worn religious ideas? Or does what we do in our own lives matter in our neighborhoods and communities, in a tangible way?
What these things mean to ourselves and others, and how they are defined may be as disparate and unique as individuals occupying the planet. Yet in the wide variance of human experience and history, those who strive to set aside judgement and take sincere action for the benefit of others besides themselves… to “do for others” without thought of personal gain… make up the deepest and most affecting stories in human communities, and embody the best of what we recognize as “good” in ourselves.
Being “self-less” isn’t bound by race, creed or ideology. It is bound to the best of what we are all made of. It is one of the ingredients in the cement that builds the structure of community. It puts us in touch with that part of our sight… our vision… that makes us grateful for others, for our own life, and our humanity and community. Not that we would or should “think less of ourselves”, but maybe just think about ourselves a little less, and more about giving back to others, and the community of our fellows.
Occupy Wall Street: If you live in the U.S., you can’t not know what OWS is. Odds are, you’ve heard a wide range of opinions and ideas about the “who, what, when, where, and why” behind this spontaneous movement. Opinions about it run the gamut… but isn’t it safe to say, that OWS came about in response to a deep sense of disparity in our nation, politics, social ordering, and our communities?
There is an overwhelming sense in the U.S. and the world, of what no longer works, yet the very structures and institutions that make up our societies continue to feverishly work to convince people to “…just trust us this time, and we’ll make it better… we promise.”
What Do People Really Want? It’s pretty simple really. People want to live in a safe place, where they feel like they matter… despite their individual differences… that they might live in a community that has respect and consideration of their value as a person, and also values their experience and contribution to the community. For some of us, this may sound familiar… because we recognize that our parents or grandparents lived in a community much like that, in a time when despite differences, people came together to help their neighbors and community, and to solve problems that needed to be solved for the well being of the whole street, neighborhood and community.
The Transition Towns Movement. The Sustainability Action Network and Transition Kaw Valley are made up of folks who feel there really is a solution to the systemic problems that have fomented and brought forth that sense of “it HAS to change now… we can’t take things as they are any more.”
The Transition Initiative is an effort to take the best of what has worked before, and build upon it to make a better now and better future for ourselves, our families, our neighborhoods and our community.
It’s time, now, for another promise. A promise to ourselves and our friends, families and our future, to build the kind of community, we long for, and that would make our grandparents smile… an acknowledgment of our recognition of the blessing of community… a gift we can give to ourselves and each other.
WON’T YOU JOIN US? 
Some lovely comments by Gerald Celente. (from “Wake Up America”, a yet to be released documentary)
