I love Cities. First off,..I will start there. Cities are flowering centers of activity, possibilities, and are multi-hued pools of culture to soak yer cranial spongespheres in.
So,..why are they not working so well? Why does it feel like we bow to them and not the other way around?We created them to serve us, but are they? Can they anymore? Could it be they are just TOO big to work well anymore? I think so.
This is the beginning of a time when I see a shift in thinking in us as a people; to find and re-configure "purpose".( In this vision, I am only one of a multitude!)The broad (and truly) all-encompassing nature of that re-analizing lens is immense!!
Though I do not claim to re-invent the wheel or the World; I CAN be just myself enough to say what I see, and maybe have THAT be one in a million happy catalysts which I believe are readying (and indeed, currently) INSPIRING the current of the future into BEING a happier flow to BE in and of and from and with!
So,..what is it?What do I see? High-Tech? Futuristic? Super-Engineered?Yes!..and no.
Sometimes the past IS the future. Looking back to the roots of our varied ancestral histories,.. I see a common thread that is SO apparent,..one walks right past,..without REALIZING what it is they just overlooked!(.. or simply didn't fully see the benefit of.)
They take that thing for granted,..as if it never mattered,..when TRULY it tied life together, and gave birth to every dream man ever shared and made manifest from the side of a kindled flame.
It fed in groups.
It cared in celebrations.
It mourned in arm-linked, life-linked marches.
It protected(in every sense of the word)innocence, wisdom, truth, honor, and validation.
It WAS Community.
It was and IS...(native drum-roll, please,..).... THE VILLAGE.
(Like the "neighborhood",..but where each had a purpose and role to play on the Community Stage.)
And you know,maybe... juuuuust MAYBE it's time to re-enter village thinking and acting and doing and vision-questing TOGETHER.
In a Village,..who ARE you?
In a Village, where you FEEL like you belong(which IS priceless)...what are you giving your community in return?
For every job, is a burden lifted from your brother's back. And every burden lifted,..is a place where a new dream can be raised and lifted instead!Together,..we do this. Together, we dream bigger! Together, we fly, where alone, we fell!
So,..why are they not working so well? Why does it feel like we bow to them and not the other way around?We created them to serve us, but are they? Can they anymore? Could it be they are just TOO big to work well anymore? I think so.
This is the beginning of a time when I see a shift in thinking in us as a people; to find and re-configure "purpose".( In this vision, I am only one of a multitude!)The broad (and truly) all-encompassing nature of that re-analizing lens is immense!!
Though I do not claim to re-invent the wheel or the World; I CAN be just myself enough to say what I see, and maybe have THAT be one in a million happy catalysts which I believe are readying (and indeed, currently) INSPIRING the current of the future into BEING a happier flow to BE in and of and from and with!
So,..what is it?What do I see? High-Tech? Futuristic? Super-Engineered?Yes!..and no.
Sometimes the past IS the future. Looking back to the roots of our varied ancestral histories,.. I see a common thread that is SO apparent,..one walks right past,..without REALIZING what it is they just overlooked!(.. or simply didn't fully see the benefit of.)
They take that thing for granted,..as if it never mattered,..when TRULY it tied life together, and gave birth to every dream man ever shared and made manifest from the side of a kindled flame.
It fed in groups.
It cared in celebrations.
It mourned in arm-linked, life-linked marches.
It protected(in every sense of the word)innocence, wisdom, truth, honor, and validation.
It WAS Community.
It was and IS...(native drum-roll, please,..).... THE VILLAGE.
(Like the "neighborhood",..but where each had a purpose and role to play on the Community Stage.)
And you know,maybe... juuuuust MAYBE it's time to re-enter village thinking and acting and doing and vision-questing TOGETHER.
In a Village,..who ARE you?
For every job, is a burden lifted from your brother's back. And every burden lifted,..is a place where a new dream can be raised and lifted instead!Together,..we do this. Together, we dream bigger! Together, we fly, where alone, we fell!
2 comments:
I agree with much of what is written here. But we don't seem to create cities or design them, except sometimes in broad strokes. Mostly, they just evolve organically, not always in ways that pass the filter of Darwinism.
The concept of a village is a beautiful goal, but to achieve it requires a change in people's values. Most people don't want to live in the archetypal village. Most don't even know, nor want to know their neighbors. Have you gone next door to offer your help in whatever is needed? Would you want your neighbors asking you for your assistance all the time? In most cases, people don't have the village mentality.
Our discretionary time in modern life is so small, we don't want to yield it to the demands of neighbors, we just want to decompress from the day and take care of ourselves.
Even if more of us had the village dream of Ubuntu, there will always be those with the lone wolf personality, and there's nothing wrong with that. Society needs different types of people. Leaders. Followers. Pioneers. Worker bees. Warriors. There will also be people who are different, who haven't been able to find acceptance in small towns and in the bars where everybody knows your name, and discover that they thrive in the anonymity of the metropolis.
The Rule of 150
and yet,..the need to build these sustainable smaller communities persists. I wouldn't DARE to FORCE people to accept Village-life,..but rather, hope to offer it as an extra option in the coming world. As centers of learning, educational and creative outreach, and fresh,healthy foods and services...A place for "decompressing"..that could easily be accessed by City-Dwellers as well,..for as long as cities last.:)
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