“If you want to go fast, go alone; but if you want to go far, go together.”
African proverb
The coronavirus pandemic has not only affected countries and continents but also our family; Working at home, homeschooling and having the spouse 24/7 at home had test families resilience and patience. Statistics show an increase in family violence, mental health and drug and alcohol problems.
There are several news and reports about a spike and dramatic increase in “divorce boom” and divorce and relationship services growth.
For many marriages, relationship and families, this is a challenging year. We have been stuck at home and stip away from many of our relationship with friends and family and coworkers. We rely almost exclusively on our partner to take on these several roles. At the same time, we might feel guilty feeling annoyed, distanced and frustrated with our relationship, especially now in a time of crisis when we actually should find encouragement and support.
But how can you maintain a healthy marriage during this time that consumes all our energy and brakes us emotionally? We are going through a pandemic, that pushes us to our limits mentally, financially, and as a couple.
So here are a couple of tips for you.
Be Kind to yourself and your spouse.
Accepting the ups and downs of each other. Each of us will have experienced this time; differently, some will suffer more; others will have more understanding and go through this time without fighting or arguments. Accept the partner’s feelings and ways to cope with the situation.
Create memorable moments of intimacy
Even during the time of isolation, it’s essential to find moments to have a conversation without children running around. Perhaps a walk in the backyard or staying a little longer in bed and cuddling with your partner. Maybe staying up a little bit longer than your children and make room for a quiet conversation. Perhaps just a silent moment to build trust and rediscover yourself and your partner. Express love, compassion and understanding as often as possible, especially if you see any signs of fatigue. You are after all each other’s cheerleader and uplifters and motivators.
Train your body and mind.
Staying all day long at home will affect your relationship. Slowly you both will not have much to speak about, and you will always have the same conversation. The boredom of the daily routine will find its way into your relationship. To avoid this, one strategy is to read more books, news and discuss ideas. Take on a project at home, and if you already finished everything you had planned look for a new one. Create small new goals for yourself, complete something in the garden, clean, organise your cupboard and practise more sport or music. Create habits rather than one-off projects that you can do regularly on your own and as a couple.
Express gratitude, make compliments and showing appreciation.
As not much is happening, you can fall into just thinking about what you can not do, what your missing, what you would do or buy when possible. Until restrictions are lifted try to see what you have today and around you, find every day something to say thank you, this will make you happier and value what you have instead what is not with you.
Speaking about gratitude, why not say something nice and surprising to your spouse, instead just to think about yourself, try it, it can get fun and usually you will get some of that back.
Loneliness and its many consequences are the more subtle but challenging effects of the Covid- 19 Pandemic.
Couples are fed up with each other, and family life has become so dull that not even hours-long TV binging is doing the trick of distracting us from reality. People do not have enough money to cover their daily lives. They can’t go to work or do anything meaningful outside their homes.
As a couple be more flexible, caring and understanding to what each one is going through. Be aware of what is happening around you and find strategies to go through this time in a healthy and solidary way.
If you are religious seek wisdom on your religious tradition
Remember the church service you celebrated on your marriage day? Perhaps the ceremony that was conducted? Maybe you seek advice from your spiritual leader. Or make a routine for yourselves to read together with your religious texts. What do they say about marriage and relationship? Having a spiritual moment together like a prayer, a song of worship, lighting of a candle etc. is an important moment for relationships.
Seek and get advice
Our last tip is to get advice as soon as you feel you need help. There are so many possibilities to receive support, yet we don’t. You should look for guidance and counselling, even if your relationship is great. I will help preventively. What often happens is that conflict escalates in such a way that separation and divorce are decision one side already made. You are then confronted with an already set and done situation. Advice and counselling usually help to prevent this situation and allow you to talk thing trough and find solutions together.
interesting Links:
Anna Demuth
Community Development | Social Inclusion | Case Management | Community Services | CALD Community | Family Services | Domestic and Family Violence| Compassion | Connect People|
Congratulations, you have seen something new, and you are ready to take action because you just had a scary revelation. The new documentary on Netflix “The social dilemma” is a hit. And many people are taking action after having seen and heard the unseen and unheard truth of the manipulative technics used in our technology. And that’s great. You just made some important realizations. You just found out that you are the product. Your attention is traded between platforms and advertisers. You pay massively for supposedly free services. You found out that you are being lied to and manipulated. You are being hacked!
It is never too late to reconsider how we use social media and technology. Are addicted? In which way we are addicted to these technologies? How do they influence our worldview? How do they affect our connections to people and the wider community? How do we understand, and how do we see and consume information? How do we receive our news? And how do we inform ourselves?
“The social dilemma” is the new documentary series that empowers and informs and it’s essential to watch it, I recommend it to everyone. And after you watch that, I recommend you to research a little bit more. It’s not the first documentary, and you can find great resources about this topic. After that, you can read some books and articles on this topic. Especially if you have children, you should invest time and effort to find a clear answer how you will educate you children about these topics and what kind of relationship they will develop with technology and the world. I leave some links below.
How did you grow up?
Speaking about education. I remember growing up in a time without internet. I remember my first phone. Even that, a wireless telephone, was a small miracle even without internet connection. I remember studying at the university, at a time when the only way we could connect to the internet was through the computers we had in our library.
As time moves on, it becomes hard to imagine and to rethink how daily life was. How was it without the smartphone in my pocket and a laptop on my desk and an iPad on my lap? Without checking Facebook. Without looking at Instagram pictures thinking about what I could I post, what I could do, what I could capture or share.
I hardly remember the feeling of being somewhere without the possibility to be somewhere else and without being available. No, going for one week of the grid does not bring that back. The broader reality of our society remains if you are offline. I remember how boring it sometimes was. How scary it felt to be in a place without the ability to reach out.
I barely remember how I looked up information, news or updates. Now I have Google in my pocket to do that. Of course, there was a process of ten to twenty years. We grew into the reality we live in today. It did not happen overnight but years of training, getting used to and… being manipulation. The post-truth divided and by group identity and politics is the result of this development. The world changed.
I remember my first smartphone. I remember a better smartphone and I remember my first iPhone. It’s like a little buddy you had for a while. A topic for another day called “my relationship with my phone”.
Church and Social Media
A second question is: How and what role does social media play in my area of expertise working in churches? That’s a big dilemma in this regard, because the primary purpose of a church is, without going into the detail of evangelism and faith in Jesus Christ, to encourage people to be together, to meet in person to celebrate, to build strong relationships and to invite volunteers to make a positive change. Change like, Volunteering in a soup kitchen, working together and organizing a community event, visiting people at home, volunteering in a nursing home, making time to be there in person.
There are many aspects of church that only work in an offline setting. Yet churches use social media, just like any other organization, to spread the word to be active to invite, to educate, to communicate. It takes a lot of time and a lot of effort and works to achieve this. I assume some of the aims are achieved others not.
(Let me know if you are interested in a theological conversation about social media and Christian faith in general. )
Organizations like these, need to be there. That is my view. And I think that is not only for the church but for everyone the case. There is a need to be present. The fear of missing out is real; it’s not just a feeling; we miss out. If we are not on social platforms, we, in the current state, we miss out. We miss out on connections and relationships with old acquaintances. We miss out on a conversation. We miss out in some sense, on a part of other people lives. Imagine a 16 or 19-year-old student not connecting with anyone. Is this possible?
The big trade-off
Of course, there is a vast downside. And I think “The social dilemma” describes this well. We have to ask ourselves if trading in our attention, our time and our data is worth the trade of getting a platform to reach out and stay in touch? We are these platform free? And would you be willing to pay for such a service knowing that your privacy is protected and you are not continually being hacked and manipulated to watch more?
There are positive effects of this technology. But they come with the huge downside. Online Platforms are subconsciously manipulating us. They manipulate how we think. They are designed to be addictive.
I wonder, Is this something new? Are we aware that technology is manipulating us? I think mostly we are. And in many situations, we believe they are improving our life. We say that we care about privacy, but actually, we care more about convenience. The tradeoff is immense. And I am sure the documentary reminded us about this aspect. Perhaps we were not confident in which way and on which level this manipulation occurs. Maybe it’s even more frightening or a wakeup call to realize that these manipulative techniques are deeply rooted in the way these businesses are built in the way the function.
Think about Apple. Is Apple a company that deeply cares for our privacy? They indeed advertise this, and I hope they don’t change their strategy. I hope there is no hidden technology that would reveal Apple was doing something else than what they were saying. It happened in the past, for example, regarding iPhone Batteries and the throttling of the processors.
Life feels different now. It is different because we humans are starting to change biologically because of these technologies. Our sleep habits change. The way we read and the way we communicate and even the way our brains work. It’s almost unthinkable to live without connected devices. Yet, we know how the world around us feels without technology, we long for that silence and peace, but it’s almost impossible to disconnect and to be present.
There is another danger the documentary describes.
The social problem
It is not just a personal addiction but a collective problem. The era of post-truth and fake news, as well as alternative facts, has dawned. It’s almost impossible to agree on anything. As we can reach 4 billion people at any time, we always find a large enough group that reinforces whatever belief or fact we think we have.
Furthermore, platforms show us what we already know. It’s like centric circles that only serve what we already are interested, in. That might be convenient because you never have to watch an advertisement that you are not interested in because the algorithm will only show you what you like and perhaps buy. This, on the other hand, will make you want to watch longer and probably spending more. Imagine yourself playing a game against the super awesome computer, both of you competing for your attention. Do you think you will win that game? You are battling the incredible supercomputer who knows you by know in an out, do you stand a change?
Moreover, the information you are served usually reinforces what you already know and what you approve of. For many people, social media, YouTube, and search is already the primary source of news and information.
A shady deal
Noah Yuval Harari asks an interesting question when speaking about Post-truth in 21 Lessons for the 21st century: “Suppose a shady billionaire offered you the following deal. I will pay you $30 a month, and in exchange, you will allow me to brainwash you for an hour every day, installing in your mind, whichever political and commercial biases I want. Would you take the deal? Few sane people would say yes. So the shady billionaire offers a slightly different deal. You will allow me to brainwash you for one hour every day and in exchange, I will not charge you anything for this service, it’s Free. Now the deal suddenly sounds tempting to hundreds of millions of people. Don’t follow their example.
The second rule of thumb is that if some issue seems exceptionally important to you make an effort to read the relevant scientific literature. And by scientific literature, I mean peer-reviewed articles book published by well-known Academic Publishers and the writings of professors from reputable institutions. Science has its limitation, and it has got many things wrong in the past. Nevertheless, the scientific community has been our most reliable source of knowledge for centuries.”
A digital self and regulation
You also should listen and watch to the conversations between Sam Harris and Tristan.
In their podcast, Tristan was speaking about this notion of a “digital self”. A Digital identity that would be necessary to have if we would take seriously our social media interactions, which we don’t. Because on social media, there is a mix of real people and fake people, real accounts, and fake accounts. Yet we assume that there, at the other end, is a person, that’s like me just wanting to share and connect and discuss. We rarely think that on the other side of our screens there could be a government. That there are thousands of employees oversees with thousands of accounts who are writing daily false facts with a certain, for us unknown, intention achieving two things: That we are manipulated by the platform itself as well as by the content we read it.
So what can we do? Do we just shut down everything and be with ourselves, offline? Is that even possible in our time and the modern workplace? Probably not.
Perhaps being offline will be suitable for a while. It definitely will show how addicted we are to these technologies because we won’t be able to think. We will have cravings, and we will go through a withdrawal period. We will lack concentration, and we will feel stressed losing out on dopamine highs.
But we can certainly learn a couple of things which we could apply. Personally and Collectively.
Tips how you can use technology better
So here are some tips what you could do. By the way, please share your favourite advice.
First, if you don’t need those social media accounts on your phone, delete them from your phone and check them only on your computer. If you need them on your phone because for example of work, then put them somewhere else than on your home screen. Maybe in your app drawer or perhaps further back.
Then turn off all notifications. If you have to check Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, then you will check it without them notifying and thereby interrupting you constantly. Keep only the most important notifications, then you know, if your phone is ringing, you get a notification it will be an important one.
Another tip. Set specific times when to watch and for how long. Maybe use some restrictions. Many phones have those features. Restrict your time using particular apps. Or perhaps you set them in your calendar, and you very mindfully check those apps ONLY for a specific period at a particular time.
Here’s another tip: Stop scrolling and only interact with the articles or with the posts of your real friends shared. Have you notices: the most relevant posts always appear right at the beginning of your feed. The further down you scroll the more automatically generated posts you will see.
And that leads me to another tip for you: please STOP sharing things and write your posts.
I hate my feed when it’s full of shared pictures and full of strange shady articles from a pseudo-scientist! When I check my feed, I want to see stuff from YOU! If its Instagram, I want to see pictures. If its Facebook, perhaps something you experienced today. If its Twitter, why not your thoughts about something from your life? If I want to connect with my friends on Facebook, I wish to see those post, not cat videos my friends shared. Please think twice every time you want to share something and post instead of your thoughts, comments, images etc. And please stop advertising whatever you want to sell if we all would do more of that our platforms would be a much more excellent place to be.
Here’s another tip. Don’t take your phone into your bedroom. And after a specific time of the day just shut down all technology at least one hour before going to bed. That will improve your sleep and general wellbeing. And when you wake up to wait at least one hour before checking your phone. That will allow you to think first before reactively acting on what you saw online.
Collective challenges and what we could do
Collectively we have the tackle the big problems. One advice is to get politicly involved and vote for the right parties by doing our research. Be active in promoting the right policies. And your government should reinforce policies, privacy regulation and exercise oversight without spying themselves on you.
Please don’t be stingy and pay for services knowing they don’t sell you something you don’t want.
When you share news research them first.
We have to ensure that we live in countries and societies where these companies are regulated, they have oversight, and that all governments are representing our best interest. That’s why we vote for them.
This is a mindset and a motivation that there is always something we CAN DO.
There are so many motivational books and articles, youtube videos and podcasts the list is endless. I know it because I have been there and I heard them and talked about them. Of course, we always learn something or take something away from them. That’s perhaps my first encouragement for you. Keep reading, keep listening and keep watching and keep learning.
Just do it!
My second Tip, just do it!Nike and Shia LaBeouf are right. An attitude of CAN is what I want to teach my children, what I wish for me to think and feel when I start a new project and what I hope you are feeling too. CAN DO is an empowerment and a confession we make. It is an attitude. Standing back, waiting for the right moment will not help. Waiting for others to do the first step or to give you some kind of encouragement will not take away the fear, the stress you feel and the necessity to do the first step.
Maybe you do not feel motivated, if so, what you should do is DO something. Mark Mason encourages in his book by stating that motivation is often the wrong place to starting. Starting with the doing part will almost immediately make room for inspiration and motivation.
Healthy Habits
James Clear encourages to introduce healthy habits which will be your framework. This is the space where the CAN DO attitude will be trained and will occur not by chance, not by mood or motivation but by a carefully designed schedule of good habits that produce big things and have a compounding effect.
How do you build a rocket? Write a book? Run a government? We would do it by ensuring that every piece fits in. That one page is written at a time and that laws and policies and elections lay a good foundation for the system to work. It is by the small steps that big things are accomplished.
Start small enough
CAN DO affirms that there is always something we can do. In 12. Rules for Life Peterson formulates this attitude in different Rules throughout his book. There is still something we can do and something where we can start not the least in our room or house or life in general. There are more than a dozen things everyone could count that could be done right now and that would have a positive impact and make a positive change in our situation.
Do you want to feel better? Clean the bathroom. Do you want to look better and be healthier? Go on a five-minute walk. Want to solve something that’s bothering you? Pay a bill. Want to feel optimistic? Have a hair cut. Want to do something good for someone else? Call a family member. Can do is just realising that there is so much potential.
We have to start small enough, and we have to do it regularly enough. Life is not about some kind of big destination; you will arrive at the end of your journey. Life is about now and about the way rather than the destination. Of course, on this journey, there will be and should be a destination we would like to reach. Have children or travel somewhere (when it’s possible again #2020) learn a new skill etc. But oftentimes many of us struggle to find destinations. To express what we want is hard. It is difficult to see and find purpose. Or can you describe where you would like to be in 10 years? What about 20 or 30 years? That’s hard. If you can do that, share with me, with us how you were able to find your vision?
There is no easy way
What we tend to forget when dreaming about our glorious future is that the end is for sure, pretty sure, holding a lot of suffering. We would like to pass some stations. “NO thank you”. But they will come. Parents will eventually die. The disease will strike. Perhaps an accident? We have to be prepared for that kind of future too. First, we should be grateful every day. Every single day is essential, and none should be wasted because
“And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count; it’s the life in your years. ”Abraham Lincoln
Sometimes we do too much. We work on to much stuff that is not important and just distracts us from what is essential. Sometimes its more important to shift the focus or to stop and listen, search, wait, meditate or pray, journal or talk. All good ways to find the right perspective.
Anyone can do means that you have an essential role to play and that you CAN take on this role. Doing is being active. Is living. This should also remind you that sitting around in front of your screen, wasting time with unnecessary things or procrastinating is not the right thing you could and should do. Remember, you can. You should. You will. Because:
Anyone can do anything at any time and from anywhere by working together with others.
Alle KÖNNEN alles von überall und zu jederzeit erreichen wenn sie zusammenarbeiten
Es gibt so viele Motivationsbücher und Artikel, Youtube-Videos und Podcasts, die Liste ist endlos. Es gibt eine ganze Industrie die uns da helfen will. Natürlich lernen wir immer etwas aus diesen Informationsquellen auch wenn etwas ist worüber wir nur den Kopf schütteln. Das ist vielleicht meine erste Ermutigung für dich. Ruhig weiter lesen. Höre und schaue dir Podcasts und Youtube Videos an und lies weiter Bücher zu diesem Thema. Mein erster Tipp: alles was dir Spass macht und du es dir gerne anhörst oder ansiehst soll dir weiter als Quelle dienen. Höre alles und prüfe alles und hoffentlich behältst du daraus alles was gut ist.
Mein zweiter Tipp: mach es einfach! Nike und Shia LaBeouf haben recht. Eine Haltung des KÖNNENS – CAN ist das, was ich meinen Kindern beibringen möchte und was ich denken und fühlen möchte, wenn ich ein neues Projekt beginne, an meine Arbeit denke oder allgemein an das was Leben bedeutet. CAN DO ist eine Ermächtigung und ein Bekenntnis. Es ist eine Haltung. Zurücklehnen und auf den richtigen Moment warten wird nicht helfen. Die Angst und den Stress vor dem ersten Schritt wird niemand nehmen können. Du kannst nicht darauf warten dass jemand den ersten Schritt macht du musst ihn tun.
Motivation ist überbewetet
Vielleicht liegt es an der Motivation. Viele Menschen sagen: Mir fehlt die Motivation. Wenn das der Fall ist dann, so Mark Manson, musst du erst recht den ersten Schritt tun. Motivation ist oft der falsche Ausgangspunkt. Wenn du mit dem Doing-Teil beginnst, wird sofort Raum für Inspiration geschaffen. Motivation erwächst durch das Tun. Fang zunächst einmal an. Setze dein Ziel niedrig genug an so das du es auch erreichst.
James Clear ermutigt, gesunde Gewohnheiten zu schaffen, die dir einen Rahmen und ein Fundament geben. Dies ist der Bereich, in dem die CAN DO-Einstellung trainiet wird und nicht zufällig, nicht durch Stimmung oder Motivation, sondern durch einen sorgfältig ausgearbeiteten Zeitplan guter Gewohnheiten verbessert wird. In seinem Buch “Atomic Habits” ermutigt Clear uns ein System von Gewohnheiten (Habits) zu schaffen die es uns dann ermöglichen unsere Ziele zu erreichen.
Wie baut man ein Auto? Oder wie schreibt man ein Buch? Oder wird ein Land regiert? Wir erreichen die größten Ziele, indem wir sicherstellen, dass jedes Stückchen jeder Schritt, jede Seite in den großen Rahmen passt. Durch die kleinen Schritte wird das Große erreicht. Deshalb helfen kleine Gewohnheite große Ziele zu erreichen.
Schritt für Schritt – fange klein an
CAN DO bestätigt, dass wir immer etwas tun können. In 12. Regeln für das Leben formuliert Peterson diese Haltung in verschiedenen Regeln seines Buches. Es gibt noch etwas, was wir tun können und wo wir nicht zuletzt in unserem Zimmer, Haus oder Leben im Allgemeinen anfangen können. Es gibt mehr als ein dutzend Dinge, die jeder aufzählen könnte, die jetzt getan werden könnten, die sich positiv auswirken und unsere Situation positiv verändern würden.
Willst du dich besser fühlen, reinige dein Badezimmer. Willst du besser aussehen und gesünder leben? Mach einen fünfminütigen Spaziergang. Möchtest du etwas lösen was dich schon seit Tagen quält? Zahl eine Rechnung und hack sie ab von deiner ToDo- Liste. Willst du etwas Gutes für jemand anderen tun? Ruf ein Familienmitglied an.
CAD DO ist eine Erinnerung an die vielen Möglichkeiten die es gibt etwas zu tun um unsere eigene Situation ein kleines Stück besser verbessern. Und wenn wir das konsequent und Schritt für Schritt tun entsteht etwas ganz Großes.
Wir müssen klein genug anfangen und wir müssen es regelmäßig tun. Im Leben geht es nicht um ein großes Ziel an dem du am Ende deiner Reise ankommen wirst. Das Leben dreht sich eher um das Jetzt und um den Weg als Ziel. Natürlich wird und sollte es auf dieser Reise einige Ziele geben die du erreichen möchten. Kinder und Familie? Oder Reisen? (wenn es wieder möglich ist # 2020). Eine neue Fähigkeit lernen? Du fühlst dich Ziel- und Sinnlos? Das geht nicht nur dir so! Oder kannst beschreiben, wo du gerne in 10 Jahren sein möchten? Was ist in 20 oder 30 Jahren? Sehr schwer. Wenn du es kannst, teile es mit uns, wie hast du deine Ziele gefunden?
Es gibt keinen leichten Weg
Was wir oft vergessen, wenn wir von unserer glorreichen Zukunft träumen, ist, dass die Zukunft mit ziemlicher Sicherheit einige Schwierigkeiten mit sich bringt. Stationen die wir am liebsten verpassen würden. Nein danke! Aber sie werden kommen. Die Eltern werden irgendwann sterben. Die Krankheit wird zuschlagen. Vielleicht ein Unfall? Auch auf diese Zukunft müssen wir vorbereitet sein. Deshalb sollten wir erstens, jeden Tag dankbar sein. Jeder einzelne Tag ist wichtig, und keiner sollte verschwendet werden, denn
„Am Ende zählen nicht die Jahre in Ihrem Leben; sondern das Leben in Ihren Jahren. Abraham Lincoln
Manchmal machen wir zu viel. Wir arbeiten an vielen Dingen, die nicht wichtig sind und die uns nur von dem ablenken, was wichtig ist. Manchmal ist es wichtiger, den Fokus zu verschieben oder ganz stehen zu bleiben und zuzuhören, zu suchen, zu warten, zu meditieren oder zu beten, Tagebuch zu führen oder zu sprechen. Das sind alles gute Wege, um die richtige Perspektive zu finden.
CAN DO bedeutet, dass du eine wesentliche Rolle zu spiele hast und das du diese auch spielen kannst. Tun ist aktiv. Es beudetet Leben. Dies sollte dich auch daran erinnern, dass vor deinem Bildschirm herumsitzen, deine Zeit mit unnötigen Dingen zu verschwenden nicht das Richtige ist, und nicht das was du tun könntest und tun solltest. Du kannst. Du solltest. Du wirst. Denn:
Jeder kann jederzeit und von überall aus alles tun, indem er mit anderen zusammenarbeitet.
Everything is closed, but people are open to connect.
After a long time of isolation, there is nothing better than to connect ( in a lawfull way) with other people. But how, if my family and my friends do not live nearby and where to connect when everything is still close. Everything is still closed, but people are open for interaction and a chat. Family and Friends are not the only people who we can engage and build a relationship with. Perhaps we struggle after almost six month of isolation and social distancing to connect even with old friends. But Strangers? With a mask? And at physical 1.5m distance? Yes, they can make us feel connected, especially if we are going through a time of loneliness. Talking to a stranger has many benefits. It’s much more memorable than your last binged watched TV series.
During the time of restrictions, I am visiting most of the public open spaces in my 5km radius. Going for a walk or taking my kids to our favourite playgrounds. I am observing people coming together much more often, starting small conversations, connecting with others more often than usual. Going over and over to the same place makes it easier to interact with strangers, especially if you are not an outgoing personality.
I got to the point were I am looking forward to going to the park or playground with my children and to meet some familiar faces I have seen a couple of times and perhaps start a conversation. Another person was brave enough to start a small talk with me. After they left, I felt happier. Next time I probably will say “hello” and perhaps start a chat. Vivek Murphy said: “ Most of the impromptu interactions that we’re avoiding are chock-full of richness.”
These interactions can be micro-interactions, just a small gesture of Kindness, smile, a word of encouragement or holding a door can make a difference in someone’s life, through a small kindness gesture you can give someone the feeling of being valued. You can save someone without never knowing.
Springvale Library
and Community Hub
I am happy about Springvale’s latest project to improve this vital space to connect. The new Library in Springvale and Community Hub is almost finished and ready to be opened. At the moment it’s possible to walk in the park and use the playground, but the library is still closed and one part of the sports area is still under construction. The outdoor space is open now for the community to visit. Moreover, it is an inviting place where the neighbourhood and visitors can come together, have a walk in the park or a BBQ when allowed again. Children can play and have fun exploring the sensory playground, the water well and giant swings. There will be a sports area and a cafe as well as open-air community activities.
According to the council of the City of Greater Dandenong, the new hub will foster:
Collaboration – Linking communities, individuals, groups, agencies and Council
Self Determination – Enabling people and communities to make own decisions.
Empowerment – helping others to develop and grow in confidence, career, life and choices
Collective Action – gathering people and organisations together to have a stronger voice
Shared Experience – working and learning together to help increase understanding and empathy
The details about the site according to the council’s site, is exciting:
“This world-class community facility will provide a variety of learning, leisure and cultural opportunities. It will include a modern, state-of-the-art library featuring new technologies and equipment, flexible community meeting spaces, customer service area and plentiful parking. The outdoor green spaces will be extensively landscaped and allow for a variety of passive and active recreation uses, community events and social gatherings.”
And sustainability was also an essential criterion:
“The new Springvale Library and Community Hub has been designed with holistic sustainability principles in mind and is targeting Net Zero Emissions for the building operations in addition to a 5-Star Green Star Rating. Operational emissions will be reduced through design features such as a high-performance façade, efficient heating and cooling systems and low energy LED lighting. Further to this, the building intends to offset the remainder of its emissions though installation of a 220kW rooftop solar PV array. The array will consist of approximately 730 panels and generate 280MWh per year; that’s enough to power around 50 family homes each year. The sustainability of the City Hall has also been improved.”
Let’s discover for now the outside of the Community Hub and Library in Springvale. We are looking forward to the opening of the facility to the public.
Anyone – Anyone can do anything at any time from anywhere by working together.
Let us analyse this Moto.
In the next couple of weeks, we are going to take a close look at this Motto. Every word stands for an idea and thought. And because anyone can make a difference by working together with others.
It is a great word which implies all people. People from different ages, location, culture or background, anyone means anybody. And that means you and I are accountable for the actions that will inspire change.
It means not someone. Someone always excludes you and me.
Someone is
someone else
someone important
someone with a lot of experience
someone who has a degree
someone elected or voted in
someone with knowledge
Anyone is in this context, opposite of someone.
It is you, and it is me: your friend or your spouse, your brother or sister may be your neighbour. Ordinary People, anyone means anybody.
This a powerful reminder that intrinsically every person is unique and essential to change the world. This thought of uniqueness comes from a long and vital tradition and development of thought. For centuries this was not the case. Indeed, this is in some corners of our world today still the same. Undoubtedly every human is important, and every human life is unique. You can think about this from at least three perspectives 1. anthropologically or 2. philosophically or 3. religiously.
Anthropologically
Anthropologically from a Darwinian evolutionary perspective, of course, you are unique, and you have the privilege to live at this time in history despite all odds being against your existence. In other words, the chance and the probability for you to come into existence, particularly at this time in the history of the universe is ridiculously small. You are nothing in the vastness of the universe and the billions of years since it came to existence. And your life means nothing among trillions of stars.
Today you are living in a time when the majority of the newborns won’t die because of a disease. They live. And the probability of growing up and be a healthy human is higher than for any other human in history. That’s why you are incredibly lucky, incredibly unique, precious and wonderful. In this perspective and context, you should see every human life and yourself as an evolutionary success story. A miracle of evolutions. And not only that. Your time is limited. Whatever comes after you die, this will be over. Certainly, sooner than you think. Perhaps tomorrow. If not tomorrow then you can count yourself to the luckiest human that ever roamed the universe, you have another day.
Philosophical and religious
You also can think about the philosophical aspects of the religious. Many religions explain a human life through a specific world or cosmic view, which usually implies a deity or transcendency. Perhaps you are someone who believes in reincarnation and that you will reincarnate after you die. Maybe you are someone who thinks and feels you will enter a different state of being because death is just part of the simple circle of life. Perhaps you come, like me, from a Christian tradition.
In this tradition, the Bible describes in its first chapters a vital worldview. Although commonly mistaken with a historical story-telling about the evolution of life, it has much greater importance describing a worldview that gives meaning to life, to the world and you. In simple terms, it says everyone is created in God’s image. This means you are precious, and you have something of the Divine in you. You are unique, says another passage of the Bible. It says God knows you personally by your name. You are you and not just a member of the species homo sapiens but a unique important Being.
We could mention many more views and explanation about how anyone is and what importance human life has or how Christianity or even other religions describe this importance, but we stop here and ask:
What do we do knowing this? How do we act in the world? How do you see yourself when you wake up in the morning and wash your face and have a good look in the mirror? Do you see the unique being you are? Do you see yourself as someone who has an important, even better, an essential and unique role to play this world right now and right where you are? Perhaps you have to play this role in the lives of the people. Do you see yourself as this Divine being uniquely equipped to live and to leave its positive mark on our world in the lives of those people we encounter? But what’s your meaning? Perhaps the most challenging questions of all because indeed first, we discover that there is no meaning.
Indeed you have to determine your meaning and purpose. Everyone has to discover this meaning and discover it for themselves. If you don’t, someone will. Society and our economy are eager to do so because their purpose of existence is you. You are the customer, and it wants to make you happy and money at the same time. The short version of our society’s vision is that our greatest aim should be happiness. And this can be sold to you. But you know that the things we buy don’t make us happy. You understand that a big part of life is suffering no matter how comfortable we make it.
It’s the suffering growing up. The anguish of loneliness. It’s the suffering because of pain and because of the pain of loss. Being happy despite all this – that’s the challenge. Perhaps meaning comes differently. It comes by doing something. It’s not a state of being but a form of action with a pause to celebrate that action. Meaning comes perhaps from doing something from taking on responsibility, maybe even just a little bit more than we can shoulder, which will give us enough motivation but not overwhelm us completely. Meaning and happiness come from working together with others. But more on this in the next few weeks.
Anyone can do anything at any time from anywhere by working together with others. Anyone includes you without any special abilities or knowledge. You, with your faults and bad habits and wrongdoings and disappointments. You have an essential role to play, and this sentence wants to remind you and me about this vital role. The role anyone can assume and do anything at any time from anywhere by working together with others.
Perhaps you take some time after reading this, or you come back later and think about:
Where are you? What do you go through? What’s right what’s bad what’s difficult? Could you write it down? Remember: Who are you? Why should you be proud of yourself and loved? Is there anyone you can have a positive influence? Is there a person for whom you could do something that would positively influence their life? Could you do it? It’s not someone’s responsibility. It is anyone’s and that includes you.
Thanks for reading if you like, leave a comment or share your thoughts or comments.
Jeder – Alle können alles von überall und zu jederzeit erreichen wenn sie zusammenarbeiten.
Dieses Motte wollte ich so allgemein wie möglich fassen und habe mich für diese Wortwahl entschieden obwohl wortwörtlich folgende Übersetzung auch passen würden:
Jeder kann jederzeit und von jedem Ort aus alles tun, indem er zusammenarbeitet.
Lass uns Motto gemeinsam analysieren. In den nächsten Wochen möchte ich dich einladen, diesen ganzen Satz genauer zu betrachten, denn jedes Wort steht für eine Idee und einen Gedanken.
Beginnen wir heute mit dem ersten:
Jeder bzw. Alle
Deutsch kann dieses Wort mit unterschiedlichen Ausdrücken übersetzt werden:
alle [Leute]
miteinander
allerseits
Alt und Jung
ein jeder
eine jede
Freund und Feind
Groß und Klein
jede[r] Einzelne
jedermann
UMGANGSSPRACHLICH
alle Mann
allesamt
alle Welt
Wenn wir alle oder jemand verwenden, bedeutet das eben jede Person. Alle Menschen.
Jeder meint dich und mich. Ich denke, es ist ein großartiges Wort, das alle Menschen impliziert. Das bedeutet, dass du und ich in diesem Satz enthalten sind. Es bedeutet, dass es nicht jemand ist, also jemand anderes. Wenn es um jemanden geht dann gehören wir nicht dazu. Wir sind ausgeschlossen wenn jemand etwas tun soll.
Jemand ist
jemand anderes
jemand der wichtig ist
jemand mit viel Erfahrung
jemand der einen Abschluss hat
jemand der gewählt oder erwählt wurde
jemandem mit Wissen
Jemand ist in diesem Zusammenhang das Gegenteil von Allen.
Aber ich meine uns, dich und mich und alle Menschen. Deinen Freund oder deinen Ehepartner, deinen Bruder oder deine Schwester vielleicht deinen Nachbar. Gewöhnliche Menschen, jeder meint jeden.
Dieses Motto ist eine starke Erinnerung daran, dass jeder Mensch eine wichtige Rolle in dieser Welt spielt und einzigartig ist. Dieser Gedanke der Einzigartigkeit entspringt einer langen und wichtigen Denk- Tradition und Entwicklung. In der Menschheitsgeschichte war das lange nicht so. Und vielleicht ist dies in einigen Ecken unserer Welt heute leider immer noch Alltag. Aber jeder Mensch ist wichtig und jedes menschliche Leben ist einzigartig. Sie können aus mindestens drei Perspektiven darüber nachdenken: 1. anthropologisch oder 2. philosophisch oder 3. religiös
Anthropologisch aus darwinistischer evolutionärer Perspektive. Natürlich sind du einzigartig und haben das Privileg, trotz Allem genau zu diesem Zeitpunkt in der Geschichte leben. Die Chance und die Wahrscheinlichkeit, dass du gerade in dieser Zeit in der Geschichte des Universums lebst, ist lächerlich gering und ein Wunder. Ein Wunder ist es, dass es dich gibt.
Du bist nichts in der Weite des Universums und den millionen von Jahren. Dein Leben bedeutet nichts unter billionen von Sternen und egal was du in deinem Leben tust es wird kaum einen Einfluss auf die weitere Entwicklung der Milchstraße haben, so wichtig ist noch niemand. Aber du bist hier. Du lebst. Und die Wahrscheinlichkeit, erwachsen und alt zu werden und ein gesunder Mensch zu sein, ist höher als bei jedem anderen Menschen in der Geschichte zuvor. Deshalb kannst du dich glücklich schätzen, unglaublich einzigartig, kostbar und wunderbar bist du. In dieser Perspektive und in diesem Kontext solltest du jedes menschliche Leben und dich selbst als eine Erfolgsgeschichte der Evolution sehen. Ein Wunder der Entwicklungen. Und nicht nur das.
Deine Zeit ist begrenzt. Was auch immer kommt, nachdem du gestorben bist, das was jetzt ist wird vorbei sein. Früher als du denkst! Vielleicht schon morgen. Wenn nicht morgen, dann kannst du dich schon wieder zu den glücklichen Menschen zählen denn morgen werden ganz viele Menschen und Lebewesen sterben und wieder den Kreislauf von Leben und Tod schließen.
Wir könnten auch über die philosophischen oder religiösen Aspekte nachdenken. Viele Religionen haben eine Vorstellung über das menschliche Leben, das sie jeweils in einer bestimmten Welt oder einer kosmischen Sichtweise erklären und meistens eine Gottheit oder Transzendenz impliziert. Vielleicht bist du jemand, der glaubt, dass du wiedergeboren wurdest und dass du nach deinem Tod wiedergeboren wirst. Vielleicht bist du jemand, der denkt und glaubt, dass du in einen anderen Seinszustand eintreten wirst, weil der Tod der einfache Kreislauf des Lebens ist und ein Übergang zu etwas Neuem. Vielleicht kommst du, wie ich, aus einer christlichen Tradition.
In dieser Tradition beschreibt die Bibel in ihren ersten Kapiteln eine wichtige Weltanschauung. Obwohl es häufig mit einer historischen Geschichten Erzählen über die Entwicklung des Lebens verwechselt wird, ist es viel mehr eine Weltanschauung die dem Leben, der Welt und dir, Sinn gibt. Im Vergleich zur Wissenschaft spricht der Glaube hauptsächlich vom Warum und nicht vom Wie.
Am Anfang, wird Alles geschaffen und am Ende entsteht der Mensch nach Gottes Bild. Dies bedeutet, dass der Mensch kostbar ist und etwas vom Göttlichen in sich trägt. Du bist einzigartig, sagt eine andere Stelle der Bibel. Es heißt, Gott kennt dich persönlich unter deinem Namen. Du das meint dich, die Person, die diese Zeilen liest. Du bist du und nicht nur ein Mitglied der Art Homo Sapiens, sondern ein einzigartiges Lebewesen das noch nie vorher da war und auch nie wieder genauso wieder existieren wird.
Wir könnten noch viele weitere Ansichten und Erklärungen erwähnen darüber welche Bedeutung das menschliche Leben hat, aber wir bleiben hier stehen und fragen:
Was tun wir, wenn wir das wissen? Wie verhalten wir uns in der Welt? Wie siehst du dich, wenn du morgens aufwachst und dein Gesicht wäschst und einen guten Blick in den Spiegel wirfst? Siehst du dort das besondere Wesen, welches du bist? Siehst du dich als jemand, der eine wichtige, noch bessere, wichtige und einzigartige Rolle spielt in dieser Welt, jetzt und genau dort wo du gerade bist? Vielleicht musst diese Rolle im Leben der Menschen spielen, mit denen du lebst. Siehst du dich als dieses göttliche Wesen, das einzigartig gerüstet ist, um zu leben und seine positiven Spuren in unserer Welt und im Leben der Menschen zu hinterlassen, denen es begegnet?
Aber was ist der Sinn des Ganzen? Vielleicht die schwierigsten Fragen von allen, denn sicherlich entdecken wir zuerst, dass es keinen Sinn gibt.Jeder muss diesen Sinn suchen und für sich entdecken als göttlichen Plan oder eigenen Weg. Wenn du es nicht tust, wird es jemand anderes für dich tun. Die Gesellschaft und unsere Wirtschaft sind bestrebt, dies zu tun, weil sie, dich als Kunden, den Sinn Ihrer Existenz, sehen und sie dich zum passend Preis glücklich machen wollen. Die Kurzfassung unserer Gesellschaft- Vision kam zu einer kurzen Beschreibung: unser größtes Ziel ist das Glück. Und das kann man dir verkaufen. Aber du weisst, dass Glück nicht zu kaufen ist. Du weisst, dass ein großer Teil des Lebens Leid bedeutet. Sein bedeutet leiden.
Leiden wenn wir aufwachen. Und Leiden, wenn wir unserer eigene Einsamkeit bewusst werden. Leben bedeutet leidet unter Schmerzen und unter dem Schmerz des Verlustes. Trotz alledem glücklich zu sein, ist die Herausforderung. Vielleicht finden wir Sinn anders. Sinn entsteht im Tun. Es ist kein Seinszustand, sondern ein Handlungszustand mit einer Pause, um diese Handlung zu feiern. Sinn kommt vielleicht davon, etwas zu tun, indem man Verantwortung übernimmt, vielleicht sogar ein bisschen mehr, als wir schultern können, was uns genug Motivation gibt, uns aber nicht vollständig überwältigt. Sinn und Glück entstehen durch die Zusammenarbeit mit anderen. Aber mehr dazu in den nächsten Wochen.
Jeder kann jederzeit und überall etwas tun, indem er mit anderen zusammenarbeitet. Jeder schließt dich auch ohne besonderen Fähigkeiten oder Kenntnisse ein. Dich, mit deinen Fehlern und schlechten Gewohnheiten und Fehlverhalten und Enttäuschungen. Du hast eine eine wichtige Rolle zu spielen und dieser Satz möchte dich und mich an diese wichtige Rolle erinnern. Die Rolle, die Alle zu jederzeit und von jedem Ort aus übernehmen können, indem sie mit anderen zusammenarbeiten.
Vielleicht nimmst du dir etwas Zeit, nachdem Sie dies gelesen haben,oder du kommst später zurück und denkst über folgendes nach:
Wo bist du gerade in deinem Leben? Was machst du durch? Was ist gut, was ist schlecht, was ist schwierig? Schreib es auf. Denk daran: Wer bist du? Warum solltest du stolz auf warum fühlst du dich geliebt? Gibt es jemanden, auf den du einen Positiv Einfluss haben kannst oder etwas Gutes tun kannst? Gibt es eine Person, für die du etwas tun könntest das sein Leben positiv beeinflusst? Tu es. Es liegt nicht in der Verantwortung von jemandem. Es ist jeder und das schließt dich ein.
Vielen Dank fürs Lesen, wenn Sie möchten, hinterlassen Sie einen Kommentar oder teilen Sie Ihre Gedanken für Feedback bin ich Dankbar.
If you need to get out of the city and feel like you have holidays, Cape Schank is one of the best day trips you can choose. About 1.30h from Melbourne CBD you will enjoy the stunning views of the cliffs, the lighthouse and the small museum and a nice walk. There are a couple of hiking options to choose from. From the carpark and after visiting the lighthouse you will take a 20-minute walk down to the water and you will enjoy the views. It’s a great place to with children aged 4+ They will still need some help on the way up. Down at the water you can spend hours walking through the rugged coast, discovering pools of water or interesting formation. Great place for photographers too. Sometimes it might be a little bit crowded especially during the holidays. Otherwise, I highly recommend exploring Cape Schank as often as possible.
The location was named in 1800 after Captain John Schank, R.N. by Lieutenant James Grant sailing on the Lady Nelson. Schank had designed the raised keel on the Lady Nelson. The spelling of the locality as ‘Schanck’ (two c’s) is a misspelling of Schank. Nicolas Baudin called it Cap Richelieu when he sailed past on the Géographe on 30 March 1802. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Schanck
Being human means being social. It means being in relationship with others. Humans are never alone. They can be alone for a while but they need basic human contact. The first and fundamental experience is living in a relationship with others. Think about a child. The first years are spent in close relationships with other people, being dependent on their care. We are social beings and that is our biggest strength. Today’s possibilities through online communication, unprecedented opportunities to collaborate, discuss and grow are endless, yet the biggest challenge is social isolation and its many severe consequences for individuals, like anxiety and depression.
Still, the community is the strongest force that can drive change. True, individuals always played their part too. We all know inspiring names and heroes, scientists and authors. People who changed the world and history forever. But we also know that power corrupts and leads to “brilliant” Tyrants and Kings who oppressed (in history) the majority of their followers and servants.
Through the rise of social media and connectivity now more than ever before the individual and his knowledge, skill, leadership, charisma, social skill and bliss or intelligence, are seen as the most desired traits. Influence and fame of the Individual are the pinnacles of success and the dreams of young boys and girls of our time. Still, it is the community where the true power lies. It is the tribe that makes things happen. It is the companionship that holds through difficult times. It is the group of coworkers or the group of friends who truly make a difference.
The power of community is the most important skill humans have. The one that is unique to them. Flexible and large scale cooperation enables this species to conquer the earth, to build skyscrapers and planes, to get to the moon and send robots to Mars. Like always this goes both ways. Sadly this species has also the capability to enslave all animals and change the entire habitat to its will, to exploit nature and people just for a little bit of “more”.
Working as Pastor and Leader in a Christian Church I have the privilege to experience the power of community first hand in many different ways. The commitment of volunteers. The collaboration for a common goal. Working towards a goal, a project or event makes not only the work easier, but sets the goals and standards higher and at the same time, achievable. It is true that it requires first individuals to take on responsibility. Which gives them personal fulfilment and purpose as well as engagement and motivation. But it is the community where success is celebrated and BIG goals are achieved.
Christianity is not special in this regard. But Christianity sees this in a specific way. It makes participation in the community not just an option but a duty for all individuals. The Same might be true for other religions or movements. What’s important in Christianity is, that participation in a group is not just a choice but a necessity, a calling, a core mission. The choice is which group or community but not if there should be participation at all.
Knowing all this there is only one question that remains: What’s the goal of this community? What’s the purpose of the group? Why? Having a superpower to reach for the stars and change the planet, what do we do with it?
We build cheap boxes to sit in front of them. We build screens to stare mindlessly into them. We procrastinate day and night and wine because we can’t find any meaning to the struggle and pain we have to endure during our life. And there is far too much emphasis on the successful individual. Remember individuals are truly powerful when they belong to a large group and work towards a BIG goal. I think we should start cheering more for the achievements of the group rather than ideolising individuals. If you want to build a rocket you’re not going to succeed if you start to build it on your own! And if you want to save the polar bears in Alaska moving there won’t do the trick. What you need is the large scale cooperation of your group.
I want to pursue this idea. To set out with you and find mind-bending, head shaking, stellar, unreachable and BIG goals which are achievable only, through large scale cooperation. And I want to pursue them. I know I can’t reach them alone. Not by myself. But I can with you. We can together. Whatever we set out to achieve we can! That’s an amazingly motivating perspective. I think everyone wants to have this sense of purpose in life. Knowing that what I do now, what I do in my thirty minutes daily, or by volunteering in a project, if it’s work, what I do the 12 hours at work, are part of something big and meaningful and something that transforms our world to be a better place and move our species forward. In my religious slang, I would call this building the kingdom of heaven, you can call it large scale flexible collaboration for an objective positive goal.
This sentence summarizes in a motivating way this thought and it should remind you about your role that:
Let’s find together some big goals to achieve them and empower our group and communities to live up to their potential.
Gemeinschaft ist deine Superkraft
Der Mensch ist ein soziales Wesen. Menschsein bedeutet in Beziehung sein mit anderen Menschen. Menschen sind niemals allein. Das ist unsere erste und grundlegendste Erfahrung. Ein Kind ist seit seiner Geburt nie allein. Es ist immer auf die Nähe und Zuwendung anderer Menschen angewiesen und das für mehrere Jahre. Wir Menschen sind soziale Wesen. Und das ist gut. Das ist unsere größte Stärke. Das sind unsere Superkräfte. Die heutigen Kommunikationsmöglichkeiten und die noch nie da gewesenen Möglichkeiten sich auszutauschen, in Verbindung zu setzen, zusammen zu arbeiten, zu diskutieren und dadurch zu wachsen, sind grenzenlos. Und dennoch ist unsere größte Herausforderung Isolation und ihre zum Teil schweren Folgen in Form von Depression und Angstzuständen. Dennoch ist die Gemeinschaft, die Gemeinde, die Gruppe oder der Stamm unsere größte Stärke. Die Gemeinschaft hat die Kraft alles zu verändert!
Natürlich spielen Individuen eine wichtige Rolle. Wir alle sind immer wieder von besonderen Menschen, den Helden heutiger und vergangener Zeiten, inspiriert. Von Musikern, Wissenschaftlern, Lehrern und Generälen. Menschen die unsere Geschichte für immer verändert haben. Gleichzeitig wissen wir auch, dass Macht und Einfluss jeden Menschen verführen und von ihm Besitz ergreifen können. Aus Menschen mit gute Absichten werden Tyrannen die unterdrücken und alles daran setzen ihre Macht zu behalten und auszuweiten.
Mehr als je zuvor wird Viel bzw. alles vom Individuum erwartet. Jeder ist “seines eigenes Glückes Schmied”. Charisma, Erfolg, Leiterschaft, soziale Fähigkeiten und Einfluss sind alles begehrenswerte Dinge unserer Zeit und damit werden erfolgreiche Menschen beschrieben. Aber trotzdem liegt die größte Macht in der Zusammenarbeit einer Gruppe. Der Stamm kann alles verändern. Der Zusammenhalt einer Gruppe führt zu großen Änderungen. In der Gruppe können Krisen überstanden werden und Ziele werden erreicht. Die Kraft der Gemeinschaft ist ein Kennzeichen menschlichen Lebens. Der Mensch ist das einzige Lebewesen welches in großer Zahl flexibel kooperieren kann. Im Tierreich gibt es viele Beispiele dafür aber ihre Kooperation ist nie flexible. Durch die flexible Zusammenarbeit in großer Zahl kann der Mensch die Welt beherrschen. Er kann Wolkenkratzer und gotische Kirchen bauen. Er kann zum Mond fliegen und Roboter auf den Mars bringen. Aber das hat auch seine Kehrseite. Der Mensch kann damit auch versklaven, alle Lebewesen dieser Welt beherrschen und alle Ressourcen ausbeuten. Er kann die Welt erobern und auch andere Menschen unterdrücken nur um etwas “mehr” Macht und Ansehen etc. zu erhalten.
Als Pfarrer und Leiter habe ich das große Privileg die Kraft der Gemeinschaft innerhalb der christlichen Kirche zu erleben. Das Engagement von Ehrenamtlichen. Die Zusammenarbeit im Blick auf ein großes Ziel. Die Kooperation an einem Projekt, an einem Gebäude, in der Diakonie oder allgemein Nächstenhilfe. Natürlich braucht es zunächst die Bereitschaft der einzelnen Person, das Individuum welches Verantwortung übernimmt. Das gibt auch dem Einzelnen ein Gefühl von Erfolg und Zugehörigkeit. Aber es ist die große Gemeinschaft die große Ziele erreicht und Erfolge feiert.
Das Christentum hat darin bestimmt kein Alleinstellungsmerkmal. Es gibt auch andere Religionen und Bewegungen oder vielleicht Unternehmen in denen die Gemeinschaft wichtig ist. Dem Vereinswesen ist dieses zentral wichtig. Im Christentum ist der entscheidende Unterschied der, dass Partizipation nicht nur erwünscht wird sondern eine Grundverantwortung des Individuums darstellt. Aufgrund dieser Gedanken bleibt nur eine Frage: Was ist das große Ziel? Was ist der Grund? Das Warum der Gruppe bzw. der Gemeinschaft? Was machen wir mit unseren unglaublichen Superkräften die uns zu den Sternen führen könnten und den Planet verändern lassen? Die Frage ob wir teilnehmen sollte steht nicht Debatte. Wenn wir nichts tun dann nehmen wir auch teil und gehoren zu der Gruppe derer die sich nicht einbringen, zu den Gleichgültigen.
Wir lassen uns von allem Möglichen ablenken. Wir werden manipuliert und um unsere Aufmerksamkeit wird ein harter marktwirtschaftlicher Kampf geschlagen. Viele Menschen leiden an “Langeweile” an “Ziellosigkeit” und den Folgen die daraus erwachsen. Und dann wird andererseits viel zu viel vom Einzelnen erwartet bzw. dem Einzelnen zugeschrieben. Influencer und Stars, Pseudowissenschaftler und sogenannte Experten findet man heute auf allen Kanälen und in allen möglichen Ecken und Gasse des Internets. Etwas mehr Bescheidenheit bitte! Vergessen wir nicht wo die wahre Macht, Einfluss und Superpower liegt undzwar in der Gemeinschaft. Ich plädiere dafür mehr für die Gruppe als für die Einzelnen zu jubeln.
Und ich möchte diese Idee weiter vertiefen. Mit euch möchte ich unglaubliche, unerreichbare, weltumfassende und menschheits -verändernde Ziele finden welche die flexible Kooperation in großer Zahl benötigten um erreicht zu werden. Wenn du die Welt positiv verändern willst dann kannst du das in dem du Verantwortung als Mitglied einer Gruppe übernimmst. Es gibt einige solcher Ziele die Organisation wie die UN oder das IPCC (The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) identifiziert haben. Welches sind die besten und größten und effizientesten Hilfsorganisationen? Wo kann ich mic ham sinnvollsten einbringen? Und weiterhin, wie können diese Ziele erreicht werden? Egal wie hoch oder groß oder schwer so ein Ziel ist zusammen, als Gemeinschaft, in der Gruppe können wir alles erreichen. Dafür setze ich mich gerne ein. Es ist unglaublich motivierend zu wissen, dass die Dinge und die Verantwortung die ich in einer großen Gruppe übernehme im großen Kontext, die Welt positiv verändern. In religiöser Sprache würde ich das so etwas wie Reich Gottes nennen an dem ich mitarbeiten darf aber du kannst es auch einfach flexible Kooperation in großer Zahl für ein objektiv positives Ziel, nennen.
Dieser Satz will dazu motivieren: Alle können alles von überall und zu jederzeit erreichen wenn sie zusammenarbeiten.
The Great Ocean Road is an unforgettable road trip worth doing every year. A lot of beautiful small Coast Cities, dense forest and great hiking trails with waterfalls and stunning views. And of course the beautiful ocean with big waves and shallow beaches, no wonder the Great Ocean Roads is on the Australian National Heritage list.
Peter Demuth 