Happy New Year 2014!
Can you believe a New Year is upon us already? 2013 seemed to go by in a complete blur…
Finally, at long last, after months of trials and tribulations the flood homes have been relocated, and Perth is beginning to rebuild. Communities in rural New Brunswick face some mighty challenges, not least of which is the fact that we really don’t matter to the government.
So, it’s up to us to take care of ourselves! We’ll be publishing articles and stories about other communities that have succeeded in spite of many challenges. What they all have in common is that the people of these communities worked together for the common good of everyone….we all do better when we all do better!
In fact, we can help save the world! A community that has learned how to meet most of its own needs with its own resources is an essential building block for solving many of the world’s most pressing problems.
A world of self-reliant communities is also a world that begins to move seriously toward sustainability and true prosperity.
Small businesses in small towns always work hard to make a living, and we’re all familiar with “Shop Local” campaigns but sometimes we don’t stop to consider the deeper implications of supporting our own… Consider these words spoken by John Hancock: “The more people who own little businesses of their own, the safer our country will be….for the people who have a stake in their country and their community are its best citizens.”
Not only does self -employment bring financial rewards, it also has a positive impact on our social structures. Self- employed people, if they are supported by their own communities, can build businesses that are not run by the whims of an uncaring government or self-serving corporate interests! They provide permanent jobs and services for local people, helping to grow the community.
And, as we step into this new year I wanted to share a really neat little story I recently ran across.
Community develops naturally out of giving and receiving and through his exchange we build our relationships within the community. Civilization itself is based on this mutual interaction.
How we decide to address this fundamental question shapes the quality of our communities and our lives and this is illustrated perfectly by the parable of a man who was given the opportunity by an angel to visit heaven and hell.
They visited hell first and saw a depressing scene. A vast banquet table was filled with every imaginable kind of food. Seated around the table were the citizens of hell. But the table was overly large, and the food could only be reached with long utensils strapped to the patrons’ wrists. Although they could reach the food, the length of the utensils made it impossible to get the food to their own mouths. This left the residents of hell hungry and tormented with frustration.
Eager to leave hell, the man asked to visit heaven. He was astounded to discover that heaven had exactly the same setting, people around a huge table, utensils strapped to their wrists…with one striking contrast. The residents of heaven were all happy, well fed and sociable. Mystified, the man asked his angel how this could be, and he was instructed to simply watch more closely.
He then discovered the fundamental difference between heaven and hell: Instead of struggling to feed themselves, the souls in heaven effortlessly fed one another!
