We take it for granted nearly every day of our lives, yet it has the power to shape every single aspect about ourselves.
IT is, of course, your community. An African proverb says "It takes a village to raise a child", well I believe that it takes a village to raise a village. (It made sense in my head before I typed it). We've always known this in our hearts. Its why we feel a special ping in your heart when you come home and see the school which you walked through, the parks that you used to play at, your favorite small restaurant. I know that personally just driving and seeing the old buildings that you used to take for granted as they passed by gives me a warm feeling. What is it about where we grow up that make us feel complete when we return at long last? Like our parents, every experience we have with our community carves out a new piece out of us. It's why kids from Minnesota are so good at hockey, while kids who grow up in southern California are good at math. Every one of us is a product of our environment. Which is why I believe that the greatest gift you can give around this time of year is to do something, anything, to improve your community. The kids who grow up and are shaped by your community are stuck with what they've got, its only right that we all do our best to make sure every kid has a community that at the very least raises kids to believe that they are special and deserve the world. Let me give you an example. My step-father's family grew up in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Both the white and black families were relatively poor, even today the median household there earns well below-average. There is something remarkable about Clarksdale though, in that almost every student that grows up there goes to college. Not only that, but every adult I know that grew up there has a good paying and steady job, doesn't struggle with drugs or alcohol, and has a healthy family life. When I talked to my uncle he told me about how tight his community was. Everybody leaned on each other. The women in the church would get together to find out how to provide childcare, or rides to activities. They would cook for each other, go to blues festivals, gather together at football games every Friday night. But most of all they looked out for their fellow neighbors. So at the very least, these holidays, make a promise to yourself to start looking out for your community. It can be attending a town hall, donating old clothes, or even offering a neighbor kid with help on his physics homework (or maybe something easier like geography). Give a kid a toy and they may play for a few years. Give a kid a community and they may prosper for the remainder of their life. Happy Holidays everybody -515
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
October 2018
Matt BruceViva DSM!! |