Creating Farmily

They say you can choose your friends, but not your family. Wendell Berry has written about the health of the farms in a society as a good indicator of the health of its nation. The spirit of connection (the real meaning of religion- from ligare to "bind",) inspires me to think of a new way to extend family into farmily. I have seen it at the Grange as it closes each meeting to ask if there is anyone sick or in need in the community, in some churches, at recovery groups, but never in the polling booth. Democracy with a party system divides us: always in half, and sometime into dozens of factions. The fact that 51% can make a decision, (yes, sometimes it takes 67% to get by politicians blovination,) guarantees 49% will be unhappy, does not a farmily make. Consensus is a good start, but really at some point we have to realize that there is no me, only we; we are all in the same boat and nobody gets out alive. Enough is enough. Just enjoy it.

The Dalai Lama re-emphasized this

Right from the moment of our birth, we are under the care and kindness of our parents, and then later on in our life when we are oppressed by sickness and become old, we are again dependent on the kindness of others. Since at the beginning and end of our lives we are so dependent on other´s kindness, how can it be in the middle that we would neglect kindness towards others?Suffering originates from various causes and conditions. But the root cause of our pain and suffering lies in our own ignorant and undisciplined state of mind. The happiness we seek can be attained only through the purification of our minds.