There’s a common saying that in order to have a village, you have to be a villager. It’s a nice sentiment. It invokes the need for reciprocal communal interaction and exchange. It inspires hope that generosity breeds generosity, and that participation leads to mutual reward.
Communities with a shared value of participation and commitment to the good health of the ecosystem simply because it is the right thing to do are extremely hard to maintain because most humans will take the easy way, the short cut, the route that avoids difficulty, every time. Once words and good intentions have been expended, 20% will always end up carrying the water of the 80%. It’s close to being another law of thermodynamics it’s so reliable.
When already elite soldiers get selected for Delta Force, they are tested individually, and the “team” mentality, pervasive up till that point in the military, is dismissed. The reason is because they want to see how far that person is willing to go, on their own, with no end in sight, and no team to help. Because they need to know those people will complete the mission, no matter what.
I have been a community contributor and volunteer, and I have come to the conclusion that communities are hard. If people can function without participating, they would, and no one sees the necessity to get involved in an unpaid contribution to society and not self. I'm burnt out but no one else will pick up the torch when you leave it or collaborate to support you through it. Their apathy vs your empathy, one thrives, one barely survives. If the work was communally done, there will be less fatigue for the few who do it now, don't you think?
Thanks for sharing. I was thinking our individual apathy is the result of the oil age: 3 generations of rising wealth, comfort, consumerism, etc - the corollary, thus, that shared “suffering” is required to forge the ties that bind community. Voila, the Village is Dead link. Yes, some form of shared experience beyond mere residency is required. Same with citizenship and true (positive) patriotism. Honestly, idk. I do see a shift, but at the same time, there is a lot of individual & societal conditioning to undo. One volunteer at time, help as one can. Necessity is the mother of (re) invention.
It's hard to facilitate community when even our for-profit community spaces are being gutted. For example, a movie theater used to be a shared project between the owner and the community members who watched movies there. Now we all watch Netflix at home. A book store used to be a shared project between the owner and the community as well. Now we order off Amazon. I wonder how we can turn the tide without a collapse forcing us back toward each other.
Thank you for your piece. I've been thinking along similar lines lately.
This very much needs saying. I find the second in your list of reasons why volunteerism is so low to be the most important, if not also the most explanatory. Walter Karp emphasized this very same factor as a crippling drag on a democratic society, the meta-community in which many of us would like to live.
People are simply surviving in a world in which, in the vast majority of cases, they must have a job - in many cases which crushes them - to do so. As a result, they have no time, or not enough money that would free that time up (not to mention their health insurance) or, regardless of how much money they “earn” (read: are assigned by social convention), they are struggling under a Protestant work ethic by which they feel their self-worth is measured or that they correctly believe is measured by others in a way they can’t afford to ignore.
This repugnant reality exists, of course, by design, as do the inadequate wages of most public servants. It has been noted often enough that only aristocrats, those who do not have to work for a living, were ever able to commit themselves consistently to public service, whereas everyone else is economically compelled to sell their labor giving all their time over that would otherwise be for self-government.
This led Karp to denounce the perennial call by sanctimonious politicians for Jobs as precisely the thing we needed less of for people to have the time and physical energy (let’s not forget that part) to actually govern themselves. This is why everyone is exhausted and must heroically volunteer on their last legs, in a way that guarantees burn out - and this is also by design.
Interestingly enough, the context of Karp’s observations was the directly proportional connection he saw between the call by public officials in the late 60s to provide black people with jobs and the rising success then of the Black Power movement - precisely an attempt by oppressed people to establish a community independent of the larger system. Think about that the next time you hear a public figure tell you that the problem is that people don’t have enough jobs.
Which leads to the related problem that whenever an organic community that is independent of the larger political system, is against it, or is indifferent to its perpetuation, becomes the least bit successful, it is subject immediately to all sorts of sabotage from the government and other powerful forces. This is true whether the community in question is a cult, like David Koresh, or is a bona fide effective socialist community building project, like Black Uhuru in St. Louis, or the Occupy Sandy communities that arose after Hurricane Sandy.
It’s a big problem all around, but it won’t be reversed without sacrifice.
Brilliant points. Wholeheartedly agree. It's a trap, on so many levels. I think what's really interesting about where I live is that in many ways, people DO exist outside this system. Not everyone, but certainly a more significant portion of the population than most places. People are able to afford cheap(er) land, build their own home, live mortgage free, and offset the overhead of basic needs and resources by sharing, volunteering, etc. It's impressive, but STILL not remotely sustainable, because most everyone else is trapped, which sets up this wonky lack of mutuality.
There is unfortunately also a huge curmudgeon population who mostly fits into category #1 or #2. They came here to get away, not to get involved. So they don't get it, yet they are perfectly happy complaining and taking advantage of everything everyone else provides. Those of us giving and sharing continue to give and share, but I don't know, the altruism just feels icky sometimes.
Communities with a shared value of participation and commitment to the good health of the ecosystem simply because it is the right thing to do are extremely hard to maintain because most humans will take the easy way, the short cut, the route that avoids difficulty, every time. Once words and good intentions have been expended, 20% will always end up carrying the water of the 80%. It’s close to being another law of thermodynamics it’s so reliable.
When already elite soldiers get selected for Delta Force, they are tested individually, and the “team” mentality, pervasive up till that point in the military, is dismissed. The reason is because they want to see how far that person is willing to go, on their own, with no end in sight, and no team to help. Because they need to know those people will complete the mission, no matter what.
For. Sure. It's maddening and undeniable.
Keep the faith. The 20% needs the 1% that won’t quit more than ever.
I have been a community contributor and volunteer, and I have come to the conclusion that communities are hard. If people can function without participating, they would, and no one sees the necessity to get involved in an unpaid contribution to society and not self. I'm burnt out but no one else will pick up the torch when you leave it or collaborate to support you through it. Their apathy vs your empathy, one thrives, one barely survives. If the work was communally done, there will be less fatigue for the few who do it now, don't you think?
Yes, couldn't agree more. I'm sorry you've experienced this problematic dynamic as well. It's very frustrating.
It is very draining and frustrating, thank you. We can only hope that times get better. Kudos to you for your contributions also.
Thanks for sharing. I was thinking our individual apathy is the result of the oil age: 3 generations of rising wealth, comfort, consumerism, etc - the corollary, thus, that shared “suffering” is required to forge the ties that bind community. Voila, the Village is Dead link. Yes, some form of shared experience beyond mere residency is required. Same with citizenship and true (positive) patriotism. Honestly, idk. I do see a shift, but at the same time, there is a lot of individual & societal conditioning to undo. One volunteer at time, help as one can. Necessity is the mother of (re) invention.
Totally agree. Appreciate you reading and engaging with this, Rick!
Anya,
It's hard to facilitate community when even our for-profit community spaces are being gutted. For example, a movie theater used to be a shared project between the owner and the community members who watched movies there. Now we all watch Netflix at home. A book store used to be a shared project between the owner and the community as well. Now we order off Amazon. I wonder how we can turn the tide without a collapse forcing us back toward each other.
Thank you for your piece. I've been thinking along similar lines lately.
Yep. I wonder too…
Well said! Check out what we're doing in California--californiavolunteers.ca.gov
This very much needs saying. I find the second in your list of reasons why volunteerism is so low to be the most important, if not also the most explanatory. Walter Karp emphasized this very same factor as a crippling drag on a democratic society, the meta-community in which many of us would like to live.
People are simply surviving in a world in which, in the vast majority of cases, they must have a job - in many cases which crushes them - to do so. As a result, they have no time, or not enough money that would free that time up (not to mention their health insurance) or, regardless of how much money they “earn” (read: are assigned by social convention), they are struggling under a Protestant work ethic by which they feel their self-worth is measured or that they correctly believe is measured by others in a way they can’t afford to ignore.
This repugnant reality exists, of course, by design, as do the inadequate wages of most public servants. It has been noted often enough that only aristocrats, those who do not have to work for a living, were ever able to commit themselves consistently to public service, whereas everyone else is economically compelled to sell their labor giving all their time over that would otherwise be for self-government.
This led Karp to denounce the perennial call by sanctimonious politicians for Jobs as precisely the thing we needed less of for people to have the time and physical energy (let’s not forget that part) to actually govern themselves. This is why everyone is exhausted and must heroically volunteer on their last legs, in a way that guarantees burn out - and this is also by design.
Interestingly enough, the context of Karp’s observations was the directly proportional connection he saw between the call by public officials in the late 60s to provide black people with jobs and the rising success then of the Black Power movement - precisely an attempt by oppressed people to establish a community independent of the larger system. Think about that the next time you hear a public figure tell you that the problem is that people don’t have enough jobs.
Which leads to the related problem that whenever an organic community that is independent of the larger political system, is against it, or is indifferent to its perpetuation, becomes the least bit successful, it is subject immediately to all sorts of sabotage from the government and other powerful forces. This is true whether the community in question is a cult, like David Koresh, or is a bona fide effective socialist community building project, like Black Uhuru in St. Louis, or the Occupy Sandy communities that arose after Hurricane Sandy.
It’s a big problem all around, but it won’t be reversed without sacrifice.
Brilliant points. Wholeheartedly agree. It's a trap, on so many levels. I think what's really interesting about where I live is that in many ways, people DO exist outside this system. Not everyone, but certainly a more significant portion of the population than most places. People are able to afford cheap(er) land, build their own home, live mortgage free, and offset the overhead of basic needs and resources by sharing, volunteering, etc. It's impressive, but STILL not remotely sustainable, because most everyone else is trapped, which sets up this wonky lack of mutuality.
There is unfortunately also a huge curmudgeon population who mostly fits into category #1 or #2. They came here to get away, not to get involved. So they don't get it, yet they are perfectly happy complaining and taking advantage of everything everyone else provides. Those of us giving and sharing continue to give and share, but I don't know, the altruism just feels icky sometimes.