Gifts

The year that the new South Africa was created after the fall of apartheid, I attended an international meeting in Switzerland.  There was a lively South African delegation full of song and joy because of their new freedom. One of...

We now use the term “dysfunctional family” for a reason. In the evolution of the consumer society, the family has lost much of its use or function. What the family used to do has been outsourced to educators, human...

I choose who to invite… the residents… the citizens of our community… those who live here… I decided to leave out of the conversation… for now… the established local leaders… those who already have a platform…a voice … I choose to have...

Our city does not have a town square for residents to gather… however, we do have the Frances R. Healy Community Center, built by a group of civic volunteers in early 70s, and it just happens to be located in Chamberlin Park,...

The current Health Care debate is a conversation that is not going to make us any healthier. It is the wrong conversation. To begin with it is not about Health Care — it is really a polarized discussion about the...

A friend whom professionals call “disabled” says, ”If you’re coming to help me, you’ve come to the wrong place.  I refuse to fill your need for needs.”  It’s his wry recognition that many people have jobs that depend on...

In my ancestors’ native Scotland, there were people who were exiled or outcast from their clan.  They were called “broken men.”  They faced a sad destiny wandering the mountains and moors without a community of support or the protection...

This is a bit of a rant, so forgive me. I received an email advertisement from The Timberland Company. The ad said, “If you’re not fast you’re food.”  Gulp. Timberland sells shoes and outdoor accessories. I know them a little and...

A powerful community depends upon its members’ willingness to step outside themselves and stand in the shoes of their neighbors.  A name for this ability is empathy. It is the essential bridge that changes the person next door from...

Thoughts from and to the community-minded . . . Wendell Berry has spoken clearly and for such a long time about the ways industrialization and the consumer economy have caused the breakup of families, farms and communities. This quote gets...