Can we rejuvenate community by intention or is it something we’ll only do when we have to?

How can we increase trust, support and relationships in the community?

Our communities have become more superficial and less rich. This is not because we are bad people. It is because we are busy getting on with life as we find it with modern technology, cars, careers, television and consumer lifestyle. We’ve let go of many of our traditions and we have less time for neighbours and community. Many people don’t know their neighbours. The main reason for this change is that, thanks to modern technology and our relative wealth and security, we don’t need to depend on each other in the way that people used to. We know that our current financial system and public services are unsustainable. It is likely that healthcare, child care, social services, policing, welfare, elderly care and education are going to have to be more community-based rather than pursuing the current centralised, industrial, socialist or commercial approaches. We will be forced by circumstances to rejuvenate our communities and experiment with new ways of delivering public services. The sooner we get started, the better.