Well, it’s that time again, another presidential campaign season has started. I won’t predict an outcome, but I can say with certainty that we will hear lots of emotionally charged rhetoric and many of the same empty promises from politicians on both sides of the aisle who claim that they can solve our problems. Ever see that movie “Groundhog Day” with Bill Murray?
I wish we would consider a different approach altogether. Our politics have been dominated by two schools of thought and two political parties. I am not a fan of either because I think the paradigm they are operating within is flawed. We bounce between the two, always feeling like change is coming, but we are bouncing between the walls of the same old, worn out box.
Rather than depending on politicians to fix our problems, what if we could empower our communities to fix problems? What if we thought creatively about how to engage millions of people in solutions to heal ourselves, our communities and our environment? I believe there are ways we could organize, educate, inform, and reallocate resources to do this. We just need to disengage from the same tired debate to see these more transformative solutions.
My belief in the power of community lies at the heart of what we are are getting ready to do with SOMOS Community Care in New York City. As you see what unfolds, you will better understand the strategy of community empowerment I am advocating.
I spoke about this idea at the annual General Assembly at SOMOS in January. We recently produced a short video with an excerpt from that talk, which you can view here.
I hope you all are doing well.
Until next time,
Nelson
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