At 58 and going through a transition in my life focus, I've been trying to distill the essence of meaning for my life. I've pondered the rather trite metaphor of a three-legged stool. The three central values of my life each represent one leg of the stool. The first is embracing heritage, which means using our individual and collective stories as resources for the future. The second is valuing diversity, the awareness that human differences are not just to be accepted, but treasured. The third is promoting peace, a principle that has both individual and global dimensions.
The seat of the stool is community, which is where we place ourselves. Community must have all three legs, equally strong, or it will topple.
I hold the legs of the stool in my hands. But where is the seat? Where is my community?
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ReplyDeleteI see what you mean. I spend two days a week volunteering at a ministry in Independence, Kansas called the F.A.S.T. Crisis Ministry. That stands for Financial Assistance Short Term.
ReplyDeleteIt is sponsored by 12 of the churches of Independence, Kansas (and that includes ours) who donate funds to help it work. Those funds help to pay rent and utility bills for low income families.
I am constantly amazed about how little some people can manage to get by on...with a little help from time to time.
Some have as little as $590 a month to live on and most have families to support on that with only food stamps to help.
Many of these folks are so disfunctional they cannot hold down a job. They have quit school way too early or most do not have even a GED. The only jobs they can find in this day and age are fast food jobs and who can live and support a family on minimum wage? When they get off welfare and go to work, they lose their medical cards. Most have major medical probems and must have some kind of insurance.
What's the answer? You tell me.
Where is their community?