Steadily Localize Livelihoods

January 14, 2009 by David Eggleton

Our means of livelihood and associated obligations and commitments determine attention, time and energy available for practically everything else we do or would do.

If we want to build local community wealth, we can allocate some of that remaining attention, time and/or energy to the effort. It is the hope of Social Capital, Inc. (a Woburn-based nonprofit), other organizations and many area residents that we will do so. It is a healthy choice, but, tragically, tenuous. It is so because most of us rely for livelihood on much that is random and not ours to manage. Almost anyone's can be deactivated without permission or warning. Then attention, time and energy must be conserved for the effort to replace it.

If we want to steadily build and sustain local community wealth, we must capture for that purpose more and more of the attention, time and energy allocated to means of livelihood. That is to say, we must steadily localize livelihoods. It is the hope of Woburnite.com that we will do so. It is a healthy choice, and its sustainability increases with each one made. It is neither random nor beyond our control. We can rely on and appreciate each other so much more than we deem feasible now.

As more and more people find ways to make their living among neighbors, more and more attention, time and energy will be available to the locale. Conversations, beginning with proposed answers to what do we absolutely need, will give way to explorations of how do we celebrate our achievements and which of them shall we commemorate? And, finally, do we want anything more?