I know that nostalgia--that oh so powerful emotional catalyst--can partly account for the power of today´s experience. I couldn´t help but be transformed back to those summer days in Hopewell Junction, New York when my parents and I would wander through lines of booths set up at the local rec center. If you asked me then why I loved that day, I would probably talk about the bouncey houses, the elephant ears, or the free sand art. But loking back, what has stuck with me was that feeling of being part of something--of being one proud happy family in a sea of other proud happy families all walking around, enjoying the company of friends and neighbors, and celebrating the place they call home.
Personal memories aside, there is another, more powerful, reason that today´s experiences in Pucon left me with tears in my eyes and a smile so big it hurt. Call it what you will. Another coincidence or some divine force bringing together all possible support networks at once. Regardless, it resulted in yet another much needed reality check.
You may have noticed that the tone fo this blog has taken a turn for the worse over the past month or two. It is still insightful and provocative. But it reeks of pessimism and negativity. Inspiration, not shock value, is my goal. But the more that I have seen, learned, and experienced, the more hopeless I have become. Our global situation and our national state are so dim and grey that it seems there is no way to overcome our current or future challenges. Doomed. Maybe. But I am not about to throw in the towel. Life is too short and beautiful to bathe yourself in constant worry about physical survival and destruction. Now, I don´t take back any of the observations I have made or the suggestions I have noted--after all those realities still hols truer than ever. However, I would like to propose a more optomistic reality and I would like to thank the city of Pucon. the love of my life and my personal inspiration Matthew, as well as a belated thank you to Bill McKibben the arthur of Deep Economy for reminding me what I love about this world, why I love celebrating this life with others, and how we can continue fighting to save the life we love.
So what is real? Community. Community is the reality that will support our lives, will save our future, and will--fortunately--make us the happiest we can possibly be. Human beings are social creatures. Even the most independent of us in today´s hyper-globalized, fast paced, super competitive world still relies on those around us for support, for the exchange of goods and ideas, and for love and affection. But just because we are social creatures that does not mean we are any less of an indivudal. We all have our own passions and skills to contribute to society and to ensure our own personal fulfillment. The problem today is that with cell phones, internet, and mass production, time and space have become so contorted and our values so botched that we can neither comprehend nor recognize the concept of a present local community. Instead of individuals using our abilities to strengthen our society, we are ¨individuals¨ working for our own economic wealth and defining ourselves by the things we buy and wear. In order to survive and in order to be truly happy, we must once again compture the notion of community. We must return to a society where everyone participates by offering to do and share what it is they love, and while everyone else respects and utilizes the contributions and talents of those around them. It isn´t farfetched.
In Pucon, it takes each and every person to make this community. What is wonderful is that the municipality and the population realizes and acknowledges the interdependence of such a diverse population. A citizenry from a range of heritages--from german settlers to Mapuche natives--all working in a variety of professions, all participating in a hodgepodge of activities, and all living together under the Chilean flag. This community celebration may appear unnecesary and routine, but its implications are huge. If a city takes pride in its citizens, people will take pride in their city. If others acknowledge a person´s worth, that person and that person´s children will acknowledge their own worth. This isn´t flashy. This isn´t particularly modern. But it is genuine and powerful in the most priceless of ways. It`s community.
So what then does this mean for us? For me and for you? For our friends and for our neighbors? Well, for those city-folks and working professionals who were getting worried and apprehensive, it means that we don`t all have to become farmers (although for reasons of health, sanity, and environmental protection everyone still should have their own garden and buy only locally produced food). What it does mean is that we must each work in a field that we are passionate about that will contribute positively to those around us. This may require a lot of soul searching. You´ll have to try and you´ll have to fail. You´ll have to go against the grain and you´ll have to be creative. But you won´t be alone. This will also require some external help. So listen to the teachers and the community leaders who are here to inspire you to be better than you thought you could be. The more they push you, the more you should listen. And on a larger scale, it is going to require a huge cultural revolution. We must shift our values. Rather than admiring investment bankers and flashy celebrities, we must admire our construction workers, our nurses, our teachers, and our farmers. We must shift our priorities. Rather than celebrating ´good deals´ and ´big bargains,´ we must stop buying cheap foreign products and start buying local quality goods. We must shift our notion of progress. Rather than measure our economy´s strength in terms of GDP and the number of new houses that are built, we must start looking at how our economic activity strengthens small communities. We must bring our world back to a human scale, back to a world of neighbors, of family gardens, of community days. This is not impossible, and this can and must start with you. So inspire others with optomism and with integrity. Learn about yourself. Ask questions constantly. Take interest in the skills of those around you and appreciate what they can teach you. Buy local and learn about the producer. Listen to your teachers and thank them for their passion. Be a citizen and go to town meetings. Have compassion and be present. Tap into your own potential. Live. Love. And keep fighting. And if you feel like you´re fighting this seemingly hopeless battle alone, realize that you´re surrounded by people who are fighting just as hard, they´ve just chosen a different ´weapon´ to fight with. Together, in community, we can create and live the reality we´ve always dreamed of.
¨It is too late to be pessimistic¨-Home
¨For community, it turns out, is the key to physical survival in our environmental predicament and also to human satisfaction¨-Bill McKibben Deep Economy
¨And we are not alone. One, we have eachother, but there are also so many people out there that care. The people I work with don´t have lofty goals of saving the world, but they care so much about the students in my school and they give all of themselves to help those few students. The world is full of people like that, these are the soldiers. They may not buy into global change, but they are doing their small part to make it happen. Find those people. Point them in the right direction. Learn from them.¨ -my diamond
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