Reclaiming the Village: An Introduction

In this time in this country, we have seen an uptick in loneliness, depression and youth delinquency that have been unprecedented. What can be done to battle such upheavals in Ferguson, Boston during the Boston Marathon, school shootings in Connecticut and other shootings elsewhere? Is America to only decay into a violent society where it picks itself apart to the soundtrack and script of a Chris Nolan film?

I believe that we have the power as Americans and residents in this country to resolve these issues and reclaim the former power, unity and peace of this spirited nation. With God as our guide, we have the power to reclaim the village.

The Village versus Community

Some may ask why I use the term “village” rather than “community”. They are both similar terms, but one has a deeper responsibility to a brother’s keeper than the other while the former term “village” carries with it some of the connotations of shunning, exile, social exclusion and moral punishment.

Village (noun): A group of houses and associated buildings, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town. (2) A self-contained district or community within a town or city, regarded as having features characteristic of village life.

Community (noun): A group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common. (2) (the community) the people of a district or country considered collectively, esp. in the context of social values and responsibilities; society. (3) A feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals.

I do not lightly defend the acts of some villages over the centuries. They have burned women at the stake, stoned those for adultery, exiled those who did not fit into the cultural or religious mold, forced some arranged marriages that only broke hearts and kept some from pursuing their dreams. They have also accomplished many great things and followed the hopes of an age-old adage: “It takes a whole village to raise a child.”

A community on the other hand does not always tie itself to a specific location – it can be global or local. A community has looser and more diverse values, but it can be hard to define where the responsibilities lie and for whom.

That is why I have chosen to use the term village rather than community in regards to the U.S., despite its negative connotations. You must accept history for the good and the bad, only hoping to redeem the bad and have forgiveness and hope for the future.

Institutions as Actors in the Village

Who are the actors or agents of change in the village? They are people and institutions (which include non-profit organizations, foundations, companies, agencies and local and national government).

We live in a day and age where more people are transient and not everyone is born, lives and then dies in the same local community.

The rise of religious and secular institutions such as non-profit organizations and government agencies in addition to the church^† has become integral to the quality of services to be delivered to people and their families as well as to promote such things as economic independence, healthy relationships, sustainability, healthy living, deeper spiritual connections and so much more. Just look at the work of many non-profits in the U.S., and you will learn that many people claim that they cannot live without their services and that they better life in general for these people.

Think of the non-profits that help high school students become first generation college students. Or the agency that assists elderly people in attending their doctor’s appointments or voting on Election Day. There are non-profits that sometimes hurt their participants more than help them (think of Robert D. Lupton’s book Toxic Charity), but many of them exist to help better life.

We are smart enough as people and members of the villages of the U.S. to figure out how to do life better together. I argue that institutions like non-profits, foundations and government agencies are the newest actors in re-claiming the village and are as integral to re-claiming the village as people and families are in American society. Institutions must play a role in helping people do life better. For example, if there are single parents who exist but are unable or don’t know how to exactly parent, wouldn’t it help those single parents if they had the choice to pursue parenting classes at an organization who could teach them and walk beside them during the process? Or for the child who may not have the academic support – wouldn’t a non-profit help that individual by offering tutoring services? Many non-profits that provide the previously mentioned services already exist, but their services are not throughout every corner of this nation not only because there isn’t always a need for such services but there is also a lack of funds and resources to spread them.

Replication is key to help spreading these services so every individual has a chance to do life better. It is in our Declaration of Independence that reads, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Institutions and people together should help each other to do life better. Everyone needs a cheerleader or mentor, guide or a life transformation coach as called by the organization Connections to Success. And that person or persons will walk with you throughout all stages of your life. Can’t institutions provide these services as well when sometimes our families, friends or communities cannot?

In the coming compositions, I plan to assert the plan of how to reclaim that village by examining the particularities of teaching versus charity, the concept of people as gifts, mentorship, the role of the youth, manhood, womanhood and economic development.

^†In this phrase, the church refers to the religious institutions like churches, synagogues, temples, mosques and religious community centers that have existed and performed acts of charity as integral to their pillars of faith.