THE INALIENABLE ELEVEN – a new Bill of Rights
(Freedoms that can never be taken from you,
… no matter what “they” do)

RIGHT #10: the Right to COMMUNITY

“The community – in its fullest sense: a place and all its creatures – is the smallest unit of Health” ~ Wendell Berry

“A person whose head is bowed and whose eyes are heavy cannot look to the Light.” ~ Christine de Pizan,

Without a doubt, the days of darkness and fear are upon us. As global citizens we are no longer afraid merely of random crime. No, today there are far more insidious forces at work in our world.

*Injustice has infected our judicial systems – with lawyers & judges regularly convicting the innocent.

*Corruption has infested our political systems – with political “leaders” ignoring the needs of the many to reward the “needs” of the few.

*Brutality has contaminated our systems of law enforcement – with police regularly abusing the powers that we have given them; “protecting” us by spying on our private lives, “serving” us by assaulting us in public.

*Immorality has overthrown our military systems – with governments using tactics more evil than the ones that inspired them (Obama’s drone war), and with soldiers being ordered to become as repulsive as the very enemy they seek (the interrogations of Guantanamo).

*Greed has poisoned our economic systems – with massive deficits, inflated mortgages, investment scams, identity thefts and the resource-rape of the only planet we have on which to live; the financial security of the many sacrificed for the luxurious comfort of the few.

*Hatred has polluted our social systems – with religious zealotry still damning the “lost”, and ideological zealotry still ridiculing the “ignorant”.

These are indeed quite frightening times.

And are we responding to these threats?
Well, with fear, of course …

We build walls around our homes to keep out “those criminals”. We close our curtains to thwart “those perverts”. We refresh our computer passwords and erect thick firewalls to shield our private lives from “those government agencies”.

We teach our very young children that the world is filled with “bad people” by telling them to never talk to strangers and giving them cell phones so that they can always call us “just in case”.

We endanger the lives of our loved ones by putting handguns in our homes to kill intruders that will never arrive; handguns that a much higher likelihood of killing or maiming the ones we wish to protect.

We place thick locks on our doors and begin to “neighborhood watch”, and thereby in effect push away our neighbors.

We look away from strangers, shy away from the “weird” and turn away from the downtrodden.

We allow our governments to whittle away our freedoms; hoping they will protect us — sacrificing our liberty for “safety”, and thereby having neither.

Focusing on our “right to privacy” has imprisoned our bodies and shackled our Souls. In succumbing to our most primitive desires for security, we have sacrificed all things worth protecting. In striving to live a “long & healthy” life, we have destroyed the quality of that living.

AND YET, all is not lost. We need not succumb to the shadows of distrust and despair. There is a freedom within us all that, without our consent, cannot ever be lessened or removed …

… and this is the Freedom of Community.

Indeed, the only real Security we have as humans rests in Community. And the only real Power we truly have is enlivened in our solidarity with one another.

And by “solidarity” & “community” I do not mean merely helping those nearby who think like you do or who are nice to you first — I mean reaching out to EVERYONE nearby in whatever ways present themselves … the following being only a few examples thereof:

*Openly offer your talents to your Community for free. If you are doctor, offer to make house-calls. If you are a teacher, offer to tutor neighborhood children. If you are a massage therapist, offer foot rubs. If you are an athlete, offer to coach a local team. And if you believe you are simply a “normal person” without any special talents or gifts, then you can always offer your sweat, your Kindness and your smile.

*Buy less and barter more. Do you have extra zucchini … or potatoes … or flowers … or toilet paper … or anything at all? Then share it with those nearby who don’t. Essentially, if you have — offer; if you need — ask.

*Start & maintain an open-air lending library.

*Start & maintain a community garden.

*Start & maintain a communal “Emergency Response Shelter” (or bunker, shed, or garage, or basement).

*Knock down backyard fences and share your yard space.

*Plant fruits & vegetables in your front yard and put up a sign that reads “Fresh produce for free … Enjoy!”

*Go out of your way to visit neighbors who are different or disliked.

*Clean up & spruce up nearby parks, traffic islands or vacant lots.

*Come together in small groups and regularly serve the needy.

*Organize and enjoy a neighborhood Game Night.

*Organize a “Meal Share” service — taking turns cooking and serving a simple meal for those in need in your community; the elderly, the unemployed, the new parents, the ill, the injured, the “down & out”.

*Engage in frequent, anonymous (and radical) “Random Acts of Kindness”.

While these are some of the more potent ways to transform your neighborhood into a rock-solid Community, there are literally thousands of others. The important thing is not that you do the “best” thing for those nearby, but rather to make sure that you at least do something.

In conclusion, while deep-seated Community — the sense of unified intimacy that used to be the core strength of human civilization — may indeed be dying, it is definitely far from dead.

Nothing — no person, no law, and no government — can stop you from exercising your Right to live in a Community of Harmony & Happiness.

And yet if we want to have such a fulfilling life, then we are the one who must do its building. So let’s set aside our desire for “protection” & privacy — myths which have proven to be unavailable in our current “world of dread”. Instead of sitting in front of our television sets being spoon-fed what they want us to believe about how dangerous life is, let’s head out into our neighborhoods and do something about rebuilding them. Instead of complaining to our friends & families about how things need to change, let’s go forth into our world and start being the change we wish to see.

“Community is proof that Love is possible in a materialistic world… It is a sign that we don’t need a lot of money to be truly happy – that in fact, quite the opposite is true. And this real community is created when we recognize that the greatness of humanity is reborn when we accept our individual insignificance by reaffirming our communal greatness; to thank God for having put in a finite body the seeds of eternity which are visible in every small, daily gesture of gentle Kindness and unconditional Acceptance.” ~ inspired by Jean Varnier

Filed under: The Inalienable Eleven by Scaughdt