Hello World
Note –
For the purposes of this blog our neighbourhood is our community.
It is where we choose to live within a town or city.
What on earth is going on in our neighbourhood?
Is this a topic we want to really Talk about?
Have we got better things to get on with?
Are we big into being friendly with the neighbours?
Are we the ones that avoid our neighbours?
Are we suspicious of neighbours from day dot?
Do we get on with the neighbours like Family?
Do we go to our neighbours just for a chat?
Do we see our neighbours as close friends?
Do we trust our neighbours but not others?
Do we wish we could live away from people?
Do we have major trust issues with neighbours?
Do we ever bother and make effort to talk to neighbours in the hood?
Do we observe things about our neighbours but stay quiet?
Do we clock things on our streets but pretend it’s not happening?
Do we see our Youth1 of today get up to no good on our streets?
Do we hide and generally avoid eye contact in our neighbourhood?
Do we feel disturbed when a neighbour wants to talk to us?
Do we dread the knock on the door from anyone in the neighbourhood?
Would we rather go without, than call on a neighbour for some help?
Are we genuinely interested in what goes on in our neighbourhood?
Are we big into Gossiping about this and that in our neighbourhood?
Are we quick to Judge without knowing the facts about others on the street?
Are we known in the neighbourhood for all the daily stuff that goes on?
Are we the neighbour who pretends things are rosy when they are not?
Are we rude to our neighbours because we know we can Get Away with It?
Are we the type of neighbour with the fake smile when we see a neighbour?
Are we guarded and protected when we meet up with any neighbour?
Next –
How many of us really respect our neighbourhood?
How many of us live in a neighbourhood we love?
How many of us are ashamed of where we live?
How many of us dread the thought of talking to a neighbour?
How many of us were raised in a run down neighbourhood?
How many of us long to escape the neighbourhood we are in?
How many of us have very little to do with our neighbourhood?
How many of us are way too busy to pay attention to what goes on, under our very nose and in our face every day in the neighbourhood?
How many of us have been living in the same neighbourhood for decades but never really spoken to anyone?
How many of us have our fake face on when it comes to our neighbours and they never get to see the Real us?
What if our neighbourhood – (call it our community, as that seems to be the modern day name) is important, simply because we have been constellated with these people who live in close proximity?
In other words, we have come together in the original sense of this word. (1)
What if we are here to offer and reflect to others in our community, a quality and trying to avoid them is not the answer?
What if we started talking to those we meet as if it was our last day on Earth – how would that be?
What if we simply made the movements to just be genuine and engage with those in our community without an agenda?
What if we find the time to Just Talk to an elder in the community that may have words of wisdom, as they have life experience?
What if we made the effort to connect with those teenagers we see on our streets, that seem to have not much to do these days?
What if we start building relationships in our community because we know we are stronger as a group than solo?
What would happen if we took the first step and started to talk from our heart with our fellow neighbours?
What would happen to humanity if we started treating everyone in our community as if they were our own brothers and sisters?
What if we STOP and consider that our neighbourhood, our community is actually inter-connected, so we are one big Family?
This is an example some of us may relate to as it’s very real life –
We have been watching through closed doors the goings on in the neighbourhood. Society would see this as crime and yet we do nothing, say Nothing and keep our mouths shut. We don’t want to get involved, we hope it will go away, but the truth of it is things are getting worse. We refuse to make the move to step out of our un-comfortableness about the whole thing in fear of the consequences.
In other words, by doing Nothing, saying Nothing – taking no action we know things will escalate, as there is no one stopping this harmfull behaviour.
Where is OUR responsibility and is it not our duty as a lawfull citizen to at least take the first step to discuss, even if it is with others first in the neighbourhood, as they may also be going through the same type of thoughts and avoiding reporting what needs to be reported?
What if neighbourhood watch is not about sucking up to the police or those in authority but to wake up and not pretend things are ok, when we know they are clearly not?
What if by not Expressing what we know it is enabling the situation to continue and this means more crime and we actually have a hand in this, as we had the opportunity to do Something but we chose to do Nothing?
What if we speak to the elders in the community who tend to say less but may just have the wisdom to direct us with what is needed in that moment?
What if we could put a stop to bad behaviour, if we start to look at what our role is in community and not dismiss it, as we have done so up until now?
Next –
What would happen if we opened up our hearts fully to our neighbours, our community – like we do when there is a natural disaster?
In other words, where we ALL just come together and forget the division and separation we live every single day.
Imagine a future where our communities are like true Family members and they are welcomed into our hearts and equally those who leave the community are supported without our personal emotional agendas.
What if our communities are important and they do matter, even though our modern world reality shows that most of us would rather keep our distance and remain aloof as that suits our lifestyle?
What if the elders in our community need to be put to good use and teach the good old fashion decency, respect and morals that they grew up with?
What if we are aware of the dodgy stuff going on in our community but feel afraid to speak out because there maybe consequences?
What if we are seeing the real damage on our streets in the hood, but turn the other way in the hope that our blindness will just make it go away?
What if we would see more activity and movement in our communities if we made the effort to know what is going on in our streets and just beyond?
In other words, clock what’s going on, take note and not ignore it as it’s our Family.
What if neighbourhood and community meetings that some attend are not our cup of tea, as everyone Lies and no one is getting Real and Honest about what goes on and how it impacts all of us?
What if the nosey neighbour, just in it for the Gossip is not ok, as that is simply circulating the stuff and does not support the community Family in any way?
What if we could act like responsible citizens with our neighbourhood family and that means we can call out behaviour that is not acceptable, like when the Youth2 are up to no good?
What if we can no longer be bystanders, watching the harm going on in our neighbourhood, as we have a duty and a responsibly to act and report back to our community Family or those in authority?
What if it is no longer comfortable to pretend things are not going on in our streets when we sure know they are?
What if we genuinely care about what goes on in our streets and we find the time to check in on others and not see it as a chore?
What if what we give to life does come back to us in some way?
AND Finally …
Whilst we all have our own take about those that live in our neighbourhood, have we considered that we are a part of it?
How are we living in daily life and what impact does this have on others in our community?
What if our community has all the resources we need but because we choose to live with our eyes closed, the curtains shut and keep people out of our hearts, we miss out, as we never get to feel or find out what could enrich our own life?
What if the people in our community do need what we could bring but we are way too busy living life in the Fast Lane with I, me, myself to even contemplate about another human?
Our neighbourhood – our community is a microcosm of what is going on in hoods, all over the world.
So how are we living in our community and how does this contribute to the bigger picture – the macrocosm, our world?
References
(1) (n.d). Etymonline. Retrieved August 13, 2021 from
https://www.etymonline.com/word/neighborhood
Comments 2
Guardian Weekly – 22 June 2021
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jun/22/alaska-haines-village-salmon-fishing-gold-mine
A small town in Alaska has divided the community because of a mining project.
The concern is for a fragile ecosystem and for others it means well paid jobs.
Locals are worried about plans to build a mine where millions of pounds of zinc, copper, lead, silver and gold are buried, beneath the valleys mountains. The glacial river serves as the main food source of the region’s Indigenous people, as well as the local inhabitants of Haines, the nearest port town.
The mining project could destroy the salmon runs they rely on. Haines is heavily reliant on commercial salmon fishing and tourism.
Mining has a long history in the valley, dating back to the 1890s gold rush.
Along the banks of the Chilkat Valley, there are signs – the highway is being extended to carry heavy trucks at higher speeds.
For the project director of Alaska Clean Water Advocacy, the mine finally becoming a reality is a ‘nightmare’.
Haines is part of the longest and deepest fjord in North America and a place with a unique ecology. Cold, glacial freshwater meets the sea here and is the perfect spawning ground for salmon.
Metals leaked into streams can destroy the fish’s ability to find their way back home. Dust from trucks transporting extracted minerals can also contaminate the waterways.
Those that support the mines project believe they can safely extract the riches. But it is important to note that the waste materials, which include millions of tonnes of contaminated water, will have to be managed forever.
Those who oppose the project talk about the disaster in British Columbia where the goldmine failed, sending 24 million cubic meters of mine waste into the local waterways.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/mount-polley-mine-disaster-5-years-later-emotions-accountability-unresolved-1.5236160
Alaska is heavily and deeply pro-mining, but the community of Haines is split on the project and this includes the native community, according to a tribal council member of the Chilkoot Indian Association.
This small town where everyone knows everyone makes it ‘nerve racking to even pick a side or voice an opinion as a minority person. The political climate makes it really hard’ says the son of a woman involved with tribal politics and an opponent of the mines. They were yelled at in the streets for ‘just having an opinion’. The knock on effect is the incident made him more nervous and concerned about what could happen to his family.
Support for the mining project also runs deep. A former mayor and first nations member, her family had ties to the community and the project. Her grandparents came to Alaska in 1898 from Washington state for the Gold Rush.
Their view is people get to have jobs and buy homes and students get good paying summer jobs.
There is Greens Creek silver mine operating for the past 32 years and not had an obvious impact on salmon, we are told.
There is evidence including state reports about the high levels of pollution near Greens Creek.
https://www.juneauempire.com/news/report-leave-contaminated-hawk-inlet-seafloor-alone/
https://www.ktoo.org/2016/02/22/125073/
Other residents in the community were happy to talk as long as they were promised anonymity.
Jones Hotch, a Klukwan elder says his community would be fighting hard to make sure the gold stays underground. No short term gain is worth the risk involved.
“There might be money for 5, 10 or 15 years and then they will leave for the next spot, wherever that is. And we here will have to live with the consequences of what they did to our lands.”
Dear World
When we are divided as a community on something like this mining project, we ought to consider the bigger picture.
Those that profit may always have a different view to those that value life and nature as more important than material gain, which comes from making more money.
But let us come in on another dimension here.
The gold and the precious metals that this mining is about – what is the purpose and is it really needed by man to evolve as a species?
If the gold is so we have more bling or the metals are so we have even more advanced tech and car components, we need to stop and question this.
At what cost and is it worth it?
Our earth resources are being stripped everywhere in our world and we blame those that profit. But remember the ones that give them their job as suppliers is us, the public that want the silver, gold and other metals. We make the demand FIRST and then they supply.
If copper is needed for jewellery, our kitchen sink, door knobs, table tops, tools, railings and musical instruments, then it is high time we stop wasting our resources. Our need and insatiable appetite to want more and more and never have enough is why communities like this town in Alaska is fighting and have become divided.
To get to a one unified Truth requires us to get real and get honest first, so that we can all come to the truth. There is only one truth and those that feel that they are doing what it takes to grow people and that means evolve, they will be the last ones standing. All businesses need to take note here – putting profit before people is not evolution.
Simple Living Global on this website – Code of Conduct at the very end says?
Always Put People Before Profit – https://simplelivingglobal.com/code-of-conduct/
Author
As a regular talker in the community and beyond, I get to hear how people are coping with life in general and it is apparent that whilst they know and can sense something is not right and what it could possibly be, they are not going to make the changes.
A classic example of a young woman recently, sharing that she lives alone and her anxiety and depression medication has side effects, one being weight gain. So that brings on the self loathing as let’s get real, no woman at any age wants excess weight. However, she said that the side effects of medication were worth it as she does not have to feel what anxiety in the form of fear and panic attacks brought her.
I would say, this woman like many other people I engage with do have the sense of why and what things are about so they are not ignorant but nevertheless, they do not want to take the steps to change. They admit to wanting things perfect and having controlling behaviours, jokingly labelled as OCD because they realise and recognise their daily habits, behaviours and movements are telling them so.
How many are living in this way today in our world and using medication to continue to suppress symptoms and never get to the root cause? How long can we continue in this way and whilst good efforts are made to wean off drugs or reduce the medication dose, as this woman said, it is near on impossible. Now that is serious.
Here we have an articulate woman who society would say is normal, simply because they have an apartment, drive a car and go to work. We ignore their weight and their other ‘odd’ behaviour as if it matters not. But what if everything matters and those small, so-called insignificant things actually have an underlying cause that is harmful in more ways than what our eyes can see?
Our communities have so many of us suffering un-necessarily because we rarely are being honest for whatever reason, and this stops us from opening up and talking to others about what is really going on. We forget that just a single conversation could be the start to inspire another to consider perhaps another way, because we happen to live differently and it is working – in this case, the no anxiety that I offer, with my steady presence, which confirms that to anyone who meets me.