The wisdom of elders was passed down in many ways, but one big way was by the act of "doing things" together. Building a wall, digging a garden, cleaning windows, fixing cars. This is why the "disposable culture" was encouraged, by those in power. When a man or woman can do/fix things for themselves, they realise they can do anything, ev…
The wisdom of elders was passed down in many ways, but one big way was by the act of "doing things" together. Building a wall, digging a garden, cleaning windows, fixing cars. This is why the "disposable culture" was encouraged, by those in power. When a man or woman can do/fix things for themselves, they realise they can do anything, even deal with adversity.
Another way was through local community celebrations/interactions. By sharing stories, dancing, discussion, debating, eating, skill testing, etc. All these things show a person WHY life is so precious, WHY its worth fighting for, and WHAT really matters- connection and community.
If you have not had that, then why would you fight for it?
Systematically, the very things that nurture and build strong spirits, and by extension, strong, compassionate people, has been stripped out of culture. Now people yearn for "something" they neither recognise when they have it, nor understand what it is thats missing when they dont. How then can they posdibly fill their cups with self resilience?😐 Convid BS, stripped us of our elders experience and wisdom, and terrified those who would/should have been taking up the wisdom mantle.
Devastatingly, the shots have stripped us of our next generations...😭😐😤😤🤐🤦♀️🤦♀️
All of this is exactly why one my longer term ambitions for The Houses Of Refuge Project is to bring generations of people together in housing communities--bring them together so that there will be "doing things" together, and there will be community celebrations.
When young adults who have grown up in the foster care system turn 18, they are summarily dumped out of the system with nary a thought for what happens next.
When people who have gone through the darkness of mental health crisis, substance abuse, and homelessness get back on their feet, and get back into some form of permanent housing, they too are summarily dumped out of the resource agencies and charities which assisted them in their recovery.
Two groups of people, young and old, who would benefit greatly from community, both to teach and to learn, and to build (or rebuild) the support networks of human contacts that buffer adversity in our lives. If we bring them together in a safe and supportive housing/community setting, what might come from the cross-pollination of ideas that will invariably occur?
This is the vision I have, and what I hope I will be able to bring into fruition. Along the way, I am looking for bits of "low hanging fruit", things that can be done to help people with simple necessities such as proper footwear for work, and perhaps even proper business attire. These are things which also send a message of caring and support, and are a practical, irrefutable way to send a message of hope to people.
(At the risk of sounding unduly mercenary and focused on the Benjamins, I would like to point out that each donation we receive is likewise a practical and irrefutable message of hope!)
We don't have enough messages of hope in the world. I want to change that. We need hope, and we need faith, or we are all lost.
The wisdom of elders was passed down in many ways, but one big way was by the act of "doing things" together. Building a wall, digging a garden, cleaning windows, fixing cars. This is why the "disposable culture" was encouraged, by those in power. When a man or woman can do/fix things for themselves, they realise they can do anything, even deal with adversity.
Another way was through local community celebrations/interactions. By sharing stories, dancing, discussion, debating, eating, skill testing, etc. All these things show a person WHY life is so precious, WHY its worth fighting for, and WHAT really matters- connection and community.
If you have not had that, then why would you fight for it?
Systematically, the very things that nurture and build strong spirits, and by extension, strong, compassionate people, has been stripped out of culture. Now people yearn for "something" they neither recognise when they have it, nor understand what it is thats missing when they dont. How then can they posdibly fill their cups with self resilience?😐 Convid BS, stripped us of our elders experience and wisdom, and terrified those who would/should have been taking up the wisdom mantle.
Devastatingly, the shots have stripped us of our next generations...😭😐😤😤🤐🤦♀️🤦♀️
All of this is exactly why one my longer term ambitions for The Houses Of Refuge Project is to bring generations of people together in housing communities--bring them together so that there will be "doing things" together, and there will be community celebrations.
When young adults who have grown up in the foster care system turn 18, they are summarily dumped out of the system with nary a thought for what happens next.
When people who have gone through the darkness of mental health crisis, substance abuse, and homelessness get back on their feet, and get back into some form of permanent housing, they too are summarily dumped out of the resource agencies and charities which assisted them in their recovery.
Two groups of people, young and old, who would benefit greatly from community, both to teach and to learn, and to build (or rebuild) the support networks of human contacts that buffer adversity in our lives. If we bring them together in a safe and supportive housing/community setting, what might come from the cross-pollination of ideas that will invariably occur?
http://www.housesofrefuge.org/
This is the vision I have, and what I hope I will be able to bring into fruition. Along the way, I am looking for bits of "low hanging fruit", things that can be done to help people with simple necessities such as proper footwear for work, and perhaps even proper business attire. These are things which also send a message of caring and support, and are a practical, irrefutable way to send a message of hope to people.
(At the risk of sounding unduly mercenary and focused on the Benjamins, I would like to point out that each donation we receive is likewise a practical and irrefutable message of hope!)
We don't have enough messages of hope in the world. I want to change that. We need hope, and we need faith, or we are all lost.