New Year Thoughts for a More Human World

Neighbour Connectedness is fundamental to happiness. So says hundreds of research projects. Finally, some of our leaders are starting to say the same thing.

King Charles II mentioned its importance and Pime Minister Carney talked about looking out for each other in their holiday messages.

To be human is to belong and take responsibility for your neighbours wellbeing. It has been that way since we lived in caves and only in the last 40 years have we fooled ourselves into thinking otherwise.

But it doesn’t have to be this way, we can enhance our humanity by simply connecting with our neighbours. I use the word simply with caution, as for many of us, this is no longer simple.

That is why we have created the Good Neighbour Method, a proven process for recreating our culture of connectedness and mutual support. We know how to do this, and we can make it normal for neighbours to know and support each other.

In the face of  powerful technologies that are designed to keep us apart, to attack our very sense of being human, we can do something about it? We can strengthen an even more powerful force, the force of the human spirit to connect, belong and look out for each other.

We can’t take it for granted that this will always be. The tech giants are talking about the age of cyborgs just around the corner where technology will be so invasive that it will be integrated into the human body. But we can decide to remain human. We can decide to keep our human spirit strong, only if we decide to be one with each other, to connect with our neighbours and value each other as the ‘thous’ we truly are.

I believe our desire to be human spirits can win the day. The foundation for happiness is simple: sufficiency of food and shelter, safety and belonging. Happiness and the human spirit is built on these four fundamentals: We and out neighbours have enough food, are sheltered, are safe, and we belong with each other. These are the basics for happiness, without them, it is very difficult to be happy. With them, we have the foundation for what every religion teaches; Love Your Neighbour.

I don’t think this is philosophical. I believe it is critically necessary and practical.

That is why we at Good Neighbour Builder Society and Happy Community Project are working hard to shift our culture so it is normal for neighbours to know, care about and support each other. We are grateful for the commitment and contributions of many over the past year, which have made the vision a reality with ten projects underway in communities across Canada and more on the way.

You can help us achieve our goals; that Canada has a strong and immutable culture of knowing, caring about and supporting our neighbours.

We can’t do this alone. We are underfunded and a few passionate souls who care. But we are determined and mighty and you can join us in our mission.

Here is how:

• Spread the word to others and ask them to join us as a movement.
• If you have influence or the knowledge, join our Board and guide us to success. We need your expertise.
• Help us raise the funding this project needs by connecting us to the people with money. There are wealthy people who care about our society but don’t know us. Help us start a relationship with them.
• Write you MLA and MP and tell them you want the Good Neighbour Project to succeed – they woefully think that funding community events is all that is needed for community building and they have told us that neighbours knowing neighbours is not important to them.
• Tell us what your ideas are for making this a success across Canada – we want to hear from you. barry@goodneighbourbuilders.org
• Volunteer your skills – For example, we need a part time admin with minimal time commitments to help keep us organized

Thank you for your consideration and thank you for following us. I wish all of us a Happy Year to come filled with hope and smiles as we together, in our own ways, make our communities more connected and supportive of each other.