I had the opportunity a few years ago to attend a conference that had Patch Adams as a guest speaker for the whole afternoon. Patch Adams is the doctor played by Robin Williams in the movie. The "real" Dr Patch Adams is as much of a lunatic as he was portrayed.
One of the many things I took away from listening to him was exactly what Bobita had been speaking of in posts this week. Do you have enough??
Patch talked about how in this society of abundance, that we were isolated. We did not need our neighbor. The perfect example he gave is lawn mowers. In a typical neighborhood block most every house has a lawn mower. That lawn mower is used perhaps once or twice a week. So why does each home need a lawn mower? Couldn't we just get together and share a couple. He explained how it was easier to isolate than get along. That in our land of prosperity, it was easier to shell out a couple of hundred bucks for our own, than DEPEND on others. The need for cooperation, was lost.
Many years ago, our sociey depended on cooperation. To raise barns, to protect ourselves, to feed each other. The barter system of the community. I can do this, you can do this and together we will get it done. Abundance in our society has taken away our need to get along. We have become our own self sufficient islands.
I have a sister in law who came to Canada 3 years ago when she was finally allowed to leave Cuba and join her husband, my brother. When we watched the videos of their marriage we were all struck by the happiness. We could not understand what they were saying, but the non verbal communication told us these folks had something good . You could feel the sense of community. Getting to know my new sister in law has been a great experience for me. While I teach her of the glories of Canada, she is teaching me about what matters most. In the day to day stuff.
Her eyes near popped out of her head when she came out one day, just as my husband was taking a trip to the local land fill.
Where will that go, she asks?
To the dump, I reply.
The dump, what is a DUMP?
And the more I explain, the sillier I feel.... Well, it's where we take our stuff that is no longer useable... the garbage, as I look at the old office furnishings in the back of the truck.... you know.. the stuff that is .... uhhh... junk? Don't you have dumps in Cuba?
Well yes she says, but it is for garbage. Rotting things, not useful things.
It seems that 90% of what was in the back of that pick up was useful to someone.
In Cuba they would have taken that outdated non working computer stuff and given it to someone that could fix computers, traded it for something perhaps a later favor. The table with a broken leg would be repaired and given to someone else, and that paper? The whole other side was useable.
Every skill people have is a usable barter. I will cut your hair, because you let me use the phone in your home when I need to. People need each other.
We have lost our need for each other. I don't need you, you don't need me.
We are islands. Self sufficient, lonely, untrusting little islands.