I find myself living in a community which was horrendously affected and effected by the 2009 Black Saturday Bush-fires which ravaged huge swathes of this state.
More than 3 years have passed but the community is still reeling from the shock and aftermath of these events. Even though a great deal of the infrastructure and housing has been built back: much of it bigger, grander and better than before; it is the phychological, emotional, social, economic and environmental scars that continue to fester and ooze.
Mental illness, suicide, drug and alcohol problems, domestic violence, negativity, and bullying are all problems exacerbated by the isolation of the community, socio-economic issues, struggling small businesses, unemployment, low education levels, youth disengagement, lack of services, high cost of living, etc. Even the climate on the mountain contributes at this time of the year. It is cold and heating costs high in an area where there is no mains gas and many rely on wood heating.
I have been thinking that this community is really a microcosm of the world at large. It underwent a cataclysmic event in the space of a few days. The world, on the other hand is undergoing its own series of cataclysmic events: GFC, european and american economies on their knees, climate change, expanding gaps between the rich and poor, peak-oil, shrinking resources...you get the drift. Unfortunately many people cannot, or are unwilling to, put these together to see the whole...unlike my community where it happened so suddenly, people couldn't help but notice!
I am thinking, some of the things that may heal this community may, in the long run, also benefit the whole world. Building a community that is self-sustaining in the areas of governance, economy, society and environment would benefit this community; as it would the whole world.
Unchecked growth, globalization and the elevation of money and wealth to the status of a god have brought us here. Maybe localization can bring us back!...or at least allow us to continue in a sustainable way.
More than 3 years have passed but the community is still reeling from the shock and aftermath of these events. Even though a great deal of the infrastructure and housing has been built back: much of it bigger, grander and better than before; it is the phychological, emotional, social, economic and environmental scars that continue to fester and ooze.
Mental illness, suicide, drug and alcohol problems, domestic violence, negativity, and bullying are all problems exacerbated by the isolation of the community, socio-economic issues, struggling small businesses, unemployment, low education levels, youth disengagement, lack of services, high cost of living, etc. Even the climate on the mountain contributes at this time of the year. It is cold and heating costs high in an area where there is no mains gas and many rely on wood heating.
I have been thinking that this community is really a microcosm of the world at large. It underwent a cataclysmic event in the space of a few days. The world, on the other hand is undergoing its own series of cataclysmic events: GFC, european and american economies on their knees, climate change, expanding gaps between the rich and poor, peak-oil, shrinking resources...you get the drift. Unfortunately many people cannot, or are unwilling to, put these together to see the whole...unlike my community where it happened so suddenly, people couldn't help but notice!
I am thinking, some of the things that may heal this community may, in the long run, also benefit the whole world. Building a community that is self-sustaining in the areas of governance, economy, society and environment would benefit this community; as it would the whole world.
Unchecked growth, globalization and the elevation of money and wealth to the status of a god have brought us here. Maybe localization can bring us back!...or at least allow us to continue in a sustainable way.
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I totally agree, bring back a sense of community. People are so busy trying to earn more money to buy stuff they don't need just because society says you need it to be happy, they don't even know their neighbours. Whole areas of wisdom and local resources are being wasted, simply because they are not known about.
ReplyDeleteYou are right on the money Hazel. Pun intended. I to believe the solution lies is local community. I have children including a teenager thus have done a considerable amount of reading on raising resilient children. The common theme is by involving them in community they manage to overcome many of the adolescent problems. Those without community fall in to chaos. I think what applies to raising children also applies to us all.
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