Thursday, September 8, 2011

Community vs Self-Reliance


Why do we have to work sooo hard to find ways to not need other people?

Why are we afraid of someone telling us they can't help us? Why are we afraid of asking the wrong person for help? Why are we afraid of not doing enough for ourselves?

Why are we afraid of helping someone with something they might be able to do themselves? Why are we afraid of someone asking for help with something they should do themselves? Why are we afraid of someone asking for something we can't help them with?

How do we know who needs help? How do we know how to help? How do we respond to people that we really can't help?

How will we conquer these fears and uncertainties?
By deciding that building a community of people who serve each other is more important than the possibility of damaging someone's self reliance?

By taking the time and thought, to ask the question.

2 comments:

Rowse House said...

The questions of helping one another is interesting to ponder. It reminds me of what I learn of ancestors as I write their histories. The ones back a generation or two lived with a different frame of mind. They were fiercely independent. Their first question was "how can I solve this?" I like their strength and effort to create solutions. We have to find a balance between tough "do it yourself" and "is there someone to help with this."
I like exchanging ideas.

Anonymous said...

Great thoughts!

My question is how do you think they would define 'fiercely independent'? I'm not sure that their process of figuring out 'how can I solve this' didn't include other people. I think it's very difficult to compare our culture to theirs. The legacy of being strong in both is certainly one to build upon though.