My office is near a coffee pot station. As folks wander around the building, they stop and refill their mugs, visit, and chit chat all day long. We don't have a true 'water cooler,' but the large java making machine outside my door takes its place and often becomes the gathering point for some interesting conversations.
Thursday I was able to overhear, without much effort as the gal was quite loud, a rant on why folks just need to take care of themselves like she and her husband do. It doesn't take a village. If you have kids, you raise them and leave the rest of 'us' alone. Oh, and Hilary Clinton is an idiot.
Hmmmm. Now the lady she was talking to, I learned the other day, is in fact dealing with an adult child who has moved back home due to a divorce and brought along two children. A bit of 'village' going on there in my mind.
The ranter was going on and on, and the other gal, in short order, drastically changed the topic of conversation and scurried back to her office as quick as she could.
Isolationism. Why is it that folks think they are so independent and move through life without interaction with anyone besides a chosen few?
Yes, my three children are 'my' responsibility, but I'd be a fool to think that many, many other people haven't had a hand in their formation. In my mind, people are naive to think that it doesn't take a village to raise children into responsible, contributing adults. From teachers to soccer coaches, my kids have learned a variety of lessons from our 'village'.
You don't live in a bubble or alone on your own planet. We are all in this together, for better or worse. As my hubby said, we are 'pack' animals and we function best and are at our best when we are working together.
And I guess that lady, whether she wants to acknowledge it or not, better hope the village does a decent job on the younger generations...she might need one or two of those village kids someday.
No comments:
Post a Comment