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CAN YOU IMAGINE... June 6, 2005 Susan Bates |
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| The world is spinning faster and
faster. Information floods our minds 24 hours a day. A new earthquake
fault has been found under Los Angeles; 5 major hurricanes are destined
to slam into us this year; 2 children are missing in Idaho. Meanwhile,
the sales of Zoloft and Prozac soar. Would it surprise you to know that in some cultures there are no words for depression? That's true. There are some indigenous societies that don't suffer from it. Depression, as well as many of the other popular diseases of our culture today, are born of a breakdown in our society. When people immigrate to this country, they are urged to give up their own culture, including their language and religion (Creation Stories) and become part of the great "Melting Pot." By doing this, a person is cutting off his own tap roots. His support group (community) is gone. What is community and why is it important? A community is the place where a person belongs unconditionally; where each one has a purpose and is viewed as an important part of the whole. It is a place where the gifts that they brought with them are accepted and appreciated. It is a safe place to grow and be nurtured. In a traditional society there are at least 4 levels of community; family, town, country (tribe) and universe. Each segment exists to support a person and if one breaks down, there are still safety nets to support him. In this country, there is very little community and sense of family. The clan which is the backbone of tribal society is largely a relic of the past. In this country people might come together to accomplish a common goal such as a bake sale, but not for a common purpose. We have broken the ties that bind. In our society, people often are extremely lonely, even to the point of treating pets like children, while children and the elders of our society often go without the most basic of needs. Did you know that in some tribal cultures still today the elders gather around a pregnant woman and question her unborn child to find out who he or she is and what their purpose for being born is? The name of the child is carefully selected to reflect this purpose and it is the job of the elders to make sure the child has the training and encouragement to do what it is he/she came to do. Can you imagine what it would be like to know the meaning of your life? I do. Can you imagine a world where everyone is important and valued? Where no one needs drugs to get by? Where crime isn't tolerated and rarely happens? I do. Can you imagine a society where the elders are not sentenced to life in a nursing home because the community takes care of them and honors their wisdom until death? I can. I have a vision of the people of Great Turtle Island once again living the way Creator intended. I am not foolish enough to think that everyone will be able to change, but some will. It is the ones who know and understand that I am concerned with. Let the Journey Begin... |
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| Everything on the
earth has a purpose, every disease an herb to cure it, and every person a mission. This is the Indian theory of existence. ---------Mourning Dove, 1888-1936, Salish |
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