Lisa over at BlogHer wonders what we are going to do to change our community. Whether you live in America or not, what are you doing, or what do you plan to do?
Do you think it's enough to just care for your family and let the government take care of the rest, or do we all need to be doing something? If we need to be doing something, who will tell us what that should be? Are you getting a clear message on changes you should make, or is this just someone else's problem? Where should we look for anwers?
Maybe you are a homeschooler. As homeschoolers I think we already are engaged in a way that some other people are not. Perhaps we see problems with an emphasis on learning facts at the expense of learning to do something useful and be part of a community. Maybe we wanted to remove our kids from the materialism and peer pressure that goes along with being part of a group at school. But, if our economy is built on spending, what happens if we all become frugal? I've been thinking about this a lot lately and I'd like to explore the topic further in the weeks ahead.
What would a better America, Canada, United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, Germany, Poland, Brazil, Guatemala, Philippines, South Korea, Sweden, Netherlands, Belgium or India look like to you? In the last two weeks I've had visitors from all of these countries. I'd love to hear what you think. Where should we be focusing our energies?
What do you have to say :-)
4 comments:
The Mountain Man and I have always tried to get involved with various community organizations that do a variety of "good works." I'm not sure what inspired it in my case, because no one in my family could be considered an activist even in the remotest sense. He is the Executive Director of a nonprofit organization that builds houses and repairs houses for low-income folks. We're members of a social justice organization in this state (and which I used to work before the kids came along). We recycle. We haven't turned on the heat yet this year (and I'm FREEZING!!!! - we use the wood stove on the coldest nights). And yet, while it's more than a lot of people do, I still feel like it's not enough. I'll be interested in hearing what other people propose.
I would say that we - as Americans - have to make sure that our civil liberties remain intact. We need to be vigilent about them never being taken away from us ... as they have been under the Bush administration. THough I voted for Obama, I see that there is a threat by the Democratic party to remove my right to bear arms ... and I feel that I need to be aware of that threat and vigilent to oppose it at every turn.
Also - for what it is worth - I am an unschooler - and want to be sure that I always have the right to teach my own children.
Thanks for asking :)
Love,
Jodi
Janet and Jodi, I appreciate you joining the conversation.
Janet - you are obviously doing a lot already. I don't know what else would be reasonable to do, which is perhaps where the difficulty comes from. How do we even know which things we can do that will make the most impact?
Jodi - I agree with the importance of the things you are prepared to defend. I am so glad for the diversity that allows each of us to champion certain things. While I agree with you that these are important, these are not things I feel personally able to commit to defending at this point. I am very happy to hear that you are.
I definitely think that people need to do more then take care of their families. I feel that we all need to learn to take a global view of the world we live in. We need a humanitarian mind set. Caring for our earth and teaching our children to love humankind is of the utmost importance. As we adopt a more world-centric attitude, rather than a me-centric attitude, we will be able to see clearly the right decisions. I think it should be deemed bad manners to not contribute something to the community you live in.
On another note, if we were all frugal, the nation would adjust. I think it would be wonderful. We'd find new ways to keep our ecomony thriving. I think it is over indulgence that reeks havoc with our economy and it feeds our bloated sense of entitlement.
I will now step down from my soap box. :)
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