OffTopic: A Comment on Poverty Consciousness

[Guest guest]

This was forwarded to me; although I prefer not to send forwarded

posts to y'all, this spoke to something that I feel is vital in our

concept of community and particularly to our role in supporting holism

in ourselves and our environment. One of my soapboxes is the fear base

of poverty consciousness. We truly can't prosper (or feel prosperous)

if our neighbors are not prospering as well. Mitakuye Oyasin... we are

all related.

 

Enjoy.

 

 

James Bender, in his book *How to Talk Well* (New York:

McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., 1994) relates the story of a farmer

who grew award-winning corn. Each year he entered his corn in the

state fair where it won a blue ribbon. One year a newspaper reporter

interviewed him and learned something interesting about how he grew

it.

 

The reporter discovered that the farmer shared his seed corn

with his neighbors. " How can you afford to share your best seed corn

with your neighbors when they are entering corn in competition with

yours each year? " the reporter asked.

 

" Why sir, " said the farmer, " didn't you know? The wind picks

up pollen from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If

my neighbors grow inferior corn, cross-pollination will steadily

degrade the quality of my corn. If I am to grow good corn, I must help

my neighbors grow good corn. "

 

He is very much aware of the connectedness of life. His corn

cannot improve unless his neighbor's corn also improves.

 

So it is in other dimensions. Those who choose to be at peace

must help their neighbors to be at peace. Those who choose to live

well must help others to live well, for the value of a life is

measured by the lives it touches. And those who choose to be happy

must help others to find happiness, for the welfare of each is bound

up with the welfare of all.

 

The lesson for each of us is this: if we are to grow good

corn, we must help our neighbors grow good corn.

 

 

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Steve Goodier, publisher of Your Life Support System

For SAMPLES visit http://www.lifesupportsystem.com

 

 

 

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Blessings,

Crow

" Look for Rainbows in the Darkness "

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