A life alone? Or ...
Two are better than one. They can help each other along; if one falls, the other can be there to help them up.
 |
Uncles do kid duty with nephews
in eastern Africa
|
In family and extended family, each is included. They help each other succeed at life, lovingly filling in where the need is. It's personal, loving, and relational.
On a larger scale, a community or a tribe carries the same thinking. We care for our own; we help each other and go forward together.
 |
| Brothers with years walking together as men |
The larger the group, however, the less personal such help becomes. The larger the population, the more likely the strong will take advantage of others. The trend leads to separation in one form or another, a gap between the powerful and the others. In the end, you have social classes, economic segregation, government and welfare programs ... entitlements replacing the brother who walks with you through difficult times.
Lacking the personal connection, such efforts are 80% solutions at best, benefiting in some measure but often bringing dependence or reduced advancement alternatives to the beneficiary. The effect of such programs on family and community relationships is troublesome.
 |
| Catholic Youth Camp ... in western Africa |
Churches can go either way. A healthy church is like family; they will share each other's burdens and focus on the community at hand. Not every church is like that, though. Some exist inside the class and wealth zones that preclude awareness of what life is really like. Some denominations are bent that way as well. Have you noticed the mindset of your friends and acquaintances? And your own?
In the 60's, we criticized the Catholic missionaries who worked in the strife-torn countries of Central and South America. They were 'improperly motivated' and aiding the 'wrong cause', we told each other. They weren't, of course. They risked their lives to serve and help. They still do.
The improperly motivated and 'wrong cause' missionaries on the international playground then and now are the monied interests. The economic players have no intent or plan to do well by the people from whom they extract their wealth. Goldman-Sachs is financially larger than most countries in the world and extracts wealth from all
without regard to the harm done. They are the typical representative of similar multinational corporations.
The ever-widening gap between rich and poor is perhaps our best indicator of missing the mark, is it not?
So how do we and our family and friends get on track and stay there?
See
Histronomics 401,
Histronomics 402, and
The Deadliest Sin
See
Saving Horatio Alger: Equality, Opportunity, and the American Dream
