No. 60 - On Feeling Good

Over the years I’ve gone through a process of self and communal introspection. I have always wanted to make a better person of myself, and along the way became compelled into a similar interest in my Community. I was unsure what I was doing and where my path would lead yet I gratefully accepted the challenge and wonderment of the journey. All along the way I was faced with myriad emotions, from sad, to frustrated, frustrated to Joy, and Joy to a sense of contentment. The journey didn’t lead me to a place where I could enjoy consistently good feeling until I came to a truth that had eluded me. Once I say it, I had to change the way in which I had viewed things, and then the journey became even sweeter.

But let me go back to something… What is it about my journey that has caused me to stay the course, and to keep going even when there appeared to be nowhere to go at all?

And of your journey, what keeps you on course?

All around us we hear of the recession, the housing markets, blatant actions of greed or disrespect for the Community. So many have lost jobs, or will lose their jobs, the market has gone mad, and all of the “leaders” are asking what needs to be done?

I think we can safely say the rest of our Country is now facing the very realities that have shaped our experiences in this Country. I have heard from strangers and colleagues alike that change is indeed here, and they are ready to start rebuilding.
Perhaps I digressed… my apologies.

I’ve come to understand there is so much truth in the ideal of Organizing and Working to build our Community. President Obama is completely right. In fact, it is how he came to his current occupation (that’s something to think about). There is no question in my mind that we will succeed in rebuilding this Country, and it will be what we envision it will be. As I go about meeting with various Leaders of our community, I can see all the answers and programs are lined up to begin the process readily. In the words of a great Politician, “We are shovel ready!”
How is this all connected, one might ask. A grand question, indeed. And here’s the truth of the matter:

Nothing makes YOU feel better then when you find an answer to a question. When you have scratched your head, looked all over and still can’t find what you are looking for, you become stressed, bothered, agitated, even angry at times. But in the moment that you find what you had looked so tenaciously, your entire being breathes a shy of relief that opened you up to feeling so very good. True or false, I ask?

This reality applies to everything we do. No wonder our Community has been at such odds with the World. No wonder we are killing ourselves in desperation and fear. So many of us have never *even* had the opportunity to find what they seek. They have never – or rarely – been able to appreciate that wealth of good feelings that comes from finding what they seek.

But how can we “magically” create a situation that will give our Community the experiences that are required to wake their good feelings up? There is no magic involved and the experience can be provided quite easily.

If just one person can feel such goodness, imagine what would happen when we multiply it. Imagine what would happen if we could magnify it and apply it to every aspect of our lives. (For those who might be a bit less “idealistic”, thanks for reading, please continue). This is not an ideal but a practical experience (thereby a practical reality) that we can, should, and MUST provide in our Community rebuilding process.

The process is simple. Encourage all people to work for their community.

Regardless of where or how or what that work might be, it will cause us to come together and to find the answers to our problems. I can assure you there are many Leaders that want to help and that want input on how to move forward, and these Leaders are men and women of action.

I should be clear about something: Working for the Community is more than just doing a job from 9-5. It is more than just watching the day pass by while hoping for a better tomorrow.

It is the most gratifying and uplifting experience we should all enjoy. And we CAN all enjoy it. There is nothing like being respected and heard, and then actively engaging the process to make things happen. Once you get hooked, you won’t want to turn it loose.

Ultimately, we have all been after gaining the power to make things better… it is why we live and work.

The value of working for the Community is that it gives you the reason and the power to move your agenda forward and reap the many benefits that come with having tangible proof that you are doing good.

On Feeling Good: No matter how good you might feel when you are alone, you will always share in a greater goodness when it is done with, for, and on behalf of others.

No. 59 - Behavior * Habit

Our behavior is so much a part of who we are that in many cases it precedes us. We are characterized by the way in which we conduct ourselves and this, to most people, represents who we are and what is important to us. We may demonstrate a profound patience in the midst of some major storm in life. We might demonstrate some deep anger as we act out against those we perceive are "out to get us". Or we might be known for our humble regard for humanity and our soft approach to engaging with others. These behaviors, and many others, all help to shape how others think of us, and they help to create expectations.

But what of our habits? Is there a difference between the two? We may wake up and jump out of the bed, filled with energy every day while others might want to roll over and sleep for another hour. We might want to say hello to people we pass in the streets while others would rather hold their head down, lost in their own world. These habits do the very thing our behavior does... they help others establish the way in which they regard us.

Behavior * habits. How is it that so much of what we do as inter-connected humans can come from such an integral part of individual life? Was the human being created with the full knowledge that our behavior * habits would be so central to our individual identity? And how does this relate to (or impact) the many challenges we face as a society on the verge of major strife and sacrifice?

I say this intimately integrated part of human existence has far more to do with the world around us than we would normally want to consider. Far more indeed, yet not in the way we might imagine. All too often we externalize the world, the problems we all face - after all, we are community - and the way in which these social challenges must be overcome. We rather point the finger and reason that this person, group, mentality, or cause is the source of the crippling challenges which plaque all communities. We take an off-hand approach to solutions because we spend so much time talking and considering, plotting and staging, reviewing and assessing that we rarely are able to respond to the needs of the community in a timely fashion.

Worse, we give away our power to impact our community for the good when we sit back and accept some unfortunate "produced reality" instead of wielding our individual and collective power to affect some needed change.

So what of the internal (individual) aspects of behavior * habits?

I think we all have the capacity to become the initiators of the change our community so needs. I think genius, persistence, integrity, vision, and heroes abound in our community and we have but to acknowledge these things for them to be raised to a greater level of respect and appreciation by all.

Yet, the question persists: What of behavior * habits?

Well, I think there is an obvious truth, and a real solution to how to move forward towards building the kind of community and family that we all want and need. I think, all too often, we cannot see the forest for the trees... we are so close to the destiny that we cannot see we are there.

What am I saying? I'm saying all of the things that must be done, that are crying to be done, to build strong community by overcoming the "systems and obstacles" that we have been so anchored to, will only be overcome when we make a conscious decision to roll our sleeves up and do what is needed to build up, safeguard, re-create, and sustain our communities. We have to make the choice to do so, we have to be willing to do the work of engaging our communities, and then we have to make a way to bring our people together around doing good for all.

Ultimately, we have a supreme responsibility. I have to behave my and you have to behave your habits.