Walking down the street of Chevak Alaska, merely 3 weeks after being here… already feels like logging into my favourite IRC channels. There is this crazy bond between people here that you could almost describe as family like. As with signing in, when I walk down the street the people (especially the children), all yell “Hi Travis!”. They ask me what I am doing, where I am going, and general questions about my doings and welfare.
There are all sorts of greetings and pleasantries, some very kind, and some jovial trolling… but never anyone being mean (okay this is not as much like the IRC channels I join, but is what I think of). This is the lifestyle that is so common to these “bush” regions of Alaska, and elsewhere in the world. A sense that without community, we cannot survive.
The concept of community being a necessity for life, is of course, not as much a concept as a fact of life. We all need each other, and we live and grow off the innovations and contributions of those in our communities, and the community grows off the innovations and contributions of ourselves. The basic understanding of this simple concept is lost on “modern” western society.
Western society has placed such a high value on personal wealth, on the power of the few, that we have forgotten about the need of growth of community. The growth of community, which is of course the fundamental part of society. We have shut down the little man, in favor for the growth of the few.
Of course I love Americans and Canadians, but I also love the rest of humans too. We have to stop looking at “American Capitalism”, “Swedish Socialism”, or any other national “label” that we apply to nations. We need to start looking at the good of mankind.