“… What’s the trouble about this place? Not that people are quarrelsome --- that’s only human nature and was always the same even on Earth. The trouble is they have no Needs. You get everything you want (not very good quality, of course) by just imagining it. That’s why it never costs any trouble to move to another street or build another house. In other words, there’s no proper economic basis for any community life. If they needed real shops, chaps would have to stay near where the real shops were. If they needed real houses they’d have to stay near where the builders were. It’s scarcity that enables a society to exist… if I can come back with some real commodities --- anything at all that you could really bite or drink or sit on --- why, at once you’d get a demand down in our town…. You’d soon get people coming to live near --- centralization. Two fully inhabited streets would accommodate the people that are now spread over a million square miles of empty streets. “
The Intelligent Man in C.S. Lewis’ The Great Divorce describing Hell.Does this sound familiar to anybody?
It sounds to me alot like much of America.
And certainly in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, I can see how scarcity and suffering has forced people back into a certain level of community. You're alot more likely to visit with your neighbors when you know you both have similar needs and sufferings.
I can't decide whether abundance, suburban sprawl, the great-white-flight, air-conditioning and drive thru everything have killed community or if the lack of true community has driven the growth of our culture of convenience.
Thoughts? Please share.
4 comments:
This is going to sound strange. My husband, Andy, and I caught the re-reun of the Trading Spaces show today and really enjoyed the show. We are happy things are returning to normal, at least a little bit. Andy believes he knows Holly from a Congressional Youth Leadership Conference he attended in 1992. He even pulled out his old photo albums, and I agree the photos look like a lot like the Holly we saw on TV - only of course she was much younger then, and so was he. :-) Anyway, my e-mail address is cyndisutton@yahoo.com. If indeed Holly did meet an Andrew (Andy) Sutton at that conference in Washington, D.C., in 1992, it would be cool to know that you are indeed who he thinks, and we are not crazy. :-)
Batch, I have been forwarded an email from the wife of the housing director when we were in college. Did you know that he has an agressive form of cancer and is not expected to live much longer (weeks?). I would forward it to you but somehow only have your blog email. If you want to know about Ed let me know.
Good quote from CS Lewis. That does sound like our culture. Renie and I are fortunate to know many of our neighbors and when talking to others in Birmingham they are surprised that we know more than just our next-door neighbors. From talking to friends outside the South-they seem to experience less community than we do...also, could agree more about having material needs. There are certainly things that would be nice to have (larger house) but I want for nothing. (Even more apparent with the sickness of Ed).
Cyndi, Holly does believe she remembers Andy. I think she plans to send ya'll an email.
Phil, I've sent you an email re Ed.
After moving to the Gulf Coast, Holly and I made a very deliberate effort to get to know the neighbors. It was a pleasure to know them and serve them and be served by them. It was difficult at first, especially since they were all in very different parts of their lives (50 and up), but we all ended up being friends. We still keep in touch with them periodically since the storm. I look forward to getting to know our new neighbors... the ones we've met so far seem very 'neighborly'.
I've been growing more and more aware of suburban sprawl and its effects over the last few years and this quote, although describing a fictional account of hell, struck me as indicative of what is wrong w/ this trend.
Batch,
I read your blog on the C. S. Lewis piece and I feel that those of us who
were not directly affected by Katrina etc still do suffer from an insidious
scarcity-isolation.
I feel that while modern conveniences contribute to this isolation I think
that we isolate ourselves out of fear and a goodly amount of plain ole
laziness.
Humans are innately social and want to connect but fear rejection. The
other really ironic factor is that I don't think most of us recognize that
we hunger for connection and try fill ourselves with material things.
It is sad that it takes such destructive events to be visited upon humans
to remind us of our similar needs and universal sufferings.
We only have to look around because all humans suffer and need comfort.
That is what we are here for to give company, comfort and compassion to one
another.
Your Friend in Ohio,
Deb
PS I am too computer illiterate to know how to use a blog must be an age
thing.
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