In a time of diminishing government services such reliance on the government to take care of us is futile. A teacher of mine in my Waldorf teacher training worked in a Waldorf school where teachers had no retirement benefit. (Nothing new there.) He was in his mid-seventies. When asked if he worried about being taken care of when he could no longer work he said he had more trust in the community he helped build than in some impersonal government program to take care of his simple needs. Of course corporations are no different. Neither care for the individual. Like a programmed machine they care only for the survival and expansion of the entity. Jobs are no longer secure, nor pensions or health benifits guaranteed. More and more we are called to do it ourselves.
And how daunting that is. It is daunting because most of us go to work, get our paychecks, buy things for ourselves and families, and stay home in front of machines (television, video, and computers). Most of us do not know our neighbors. We do little or nothing about building community. We just hope that “they” will take care of the world around us. After all, that is what we pay our taxes for.
I heard of a Waldorf school back east that had a beautiful building built with the funds from a large donation by one family. The community of parents did nothing to build the school. The parents just paid the dues, dropped the kids off and the school nearly collapsed. In contrast, a school where the parents are actively participating in a school’s creation from the ground up, more than likely, there will be a sense of pride in the air. Because building a school requires so much work. When we are given something free, unless it comes after a lot of effort, most often it will have no emotional value. Give a child a wooden spoon and it will mean nothing to her; but have her carve and sand it, perhaps with a few scars on her thumb, her eyes will shine when it is done.
Now back to my walk around the lake. If the government workers were aplenty and cleaned up the lake on a regular basis I would simply enjoy my walk. But now something is different. After hearing my father’s voice, whenever I go there I do not leave empty handed. I have wonderful garbage. Yes, wonderful. Because it is giving me joy to help make this sanctuary for the birds a more beautiful place. For you see, the lake has become mine. I have now become a steward of the lake.
I wonder what this town would be like if people became stewards of their neighborhoods and other places of Monterey and other cities, just like beach clean-up day, but all year round? I wonder if our children would learn something about taking responsibility for the world around them if they watched their biggest role models--their parents--stoop and pick up garbage that they had not dropped. And I wonder what would happen if people cleaned in groups as well—making parties of it? I just think that people would be finding themselves living in a community of communities. And then, perhaps, when all those promises of government organizations and corporations fade away, there will be a community of friends telling us not to worry; because we are all in it together.
(This article appeared in the Monterey Herald, Dec. 26, 2004)
2004 Janaka Stagnaro
www.janakastagnaro.com