Never Forgetting the Value of Community

(This image is property of the gook-looking author 😂 )

I have been blessed with never having to live in poverty. Not having to wonder whether my children would eat, or my family would not only get the medical treatment it needs, and the preventive care to avoid illnesses.
Sure, there have been rough patches. “Fifty ways with beans”, we used to call it. We needed public support in the way of food stamps to afford groceries for a brief time. But we never had to deal with a lack of necessities for very long.

My partner and I credit our resourceful parents and beyond for this. They survived worse, but knew that survival meant coming together. Working together as a community to do what you can for each other. Need gaps still occurred, but you knew that the people around you would do what they could, as you would for them.

I don’t see that in American culture these days, unless they live in truly remote areas that businesses don't find profitable enough to serve. People that have money pay for what they need, often delivered so they can focus on responsibilities or avoid interacting with the world. It’s convenient, sure, to arrange for a person to deliver groceries, fix a leak or move some heavy items. While the person next door may have those skills, you likely don’t know it. You may not even know their name if they are not in a social platform friend group.

Seven years ago, we began hosting Five O’Clock Fridays. We contacted the neighbors we knew, and left flyers in mailboxes we didn’t, going about four houses down the street in both directions.

The arrangement was simple. We offered our front yard from five until seven for anyone who wanted to join in. I love creating recipes, so this gave me a platform to try new things once in a while. We provided some light foods, simple drinks, and some lawn chairs. They could contribute or not. Bring their own drink, or food, if they wished. It didn’t matter if it was only enough for themselves, for the purpose was community. We also set out a children’s sized picnic table, along with some chalk, legos, and one or two other games or crafts to accommodate their young ones.
The reception was terrific. Neighbors got to know neighbors. People walking by that didn’t live that close asked to join in. It made our area feel homey.

Then, two things happened. The first was the 2016 presidential election. The chatter was initially respectful of each other’s opinions, but as it drew near, some began behaving uncivilized. They were asked not to return, not because of their views, but the disrespect they began demonstrating. This reminded me of my mother’s stories about pre-World War II times in Yugoslavia. The town center had a church, a synagogue, and a mosque. Everyone was respectful to each other until the politics of the day intervened and polarized the people. Suddenly, having disdain for the people you’ve enjoyed all along became okay. Even causing them grief or harm was justifiable in the name of moral cleansing.

When COVID hit, our gatherings shut down. We’d considered restarting them three years later, but felt it better not to. The people that supported religious and political conservatism had complete disdain and intolerance for anyone else. Not inviting them back only gave them cause to show up and rant.

(This picture was taken by Hive account@mcsamm and shared with me)

I was reminded of this when I met Hive account@mcsamm , Hive account@alessandrawhite and Hive account@steevc near Oxford, England. Sam told me about the HIVE efforts in Ghana to install wells, at a cost of ~$8000US. This is in contrast to an American-based organization run by some acquaintances that does similar for $35,000US each.

I know the specific installations are different. The ~$35k installations are more robust, but what he’s doing is still highly effective, and I’m happy to support him as a member of the world community. I cannot travel there to do the work, and wouldn't want to, as I would be spending close to the cost of a well in doing so.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/11/world/africa/nigeria-economy-strike.html

What also interested me was this recent article in the New York Times about the economic issues in Nigeria that are increasing inflation and poverty levels. The article pointed out the increase in cryptocurrency use and gaming, making it sound like that was crypto’s only appeal to creating funds to live on.

Which it can be. But I see the HIVE community that can use its influence and the ability to earn as a means of supporting community needs in a great way. As the world should be between people that still care about their neighbors.