Power, Passion, Inspiration
These are words that come to mind as I begin to write my response to the @TribeSteemUp Question posed by @trucklife-family.
The Time of the Lone Wolf Is Over
I get chill as I write that. Let me share this inspirational piece that it came from.
First a little backstory. I read this many years back in an especially transformative time in my life. I was just then beginning to learn about the importance of community and diving into the world of Permaculture. This piece sunk straight into my heart and has influenced me ever since.
"You have been telling people that this is the Eleventh Hour, now you must go back and tell the people that this is the Hour. And there are things to be considered…
What are you doing?
What are your relationships?
Are you in right relation?
Where is your water?
It is time to speak your truth.
Create your community.
Be good to each other.
And do not look outside yourself for your leader.
Then he clasped his hands together, smiled, and said, “This could be a good time!
There is a river flowing now very fast. It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid. They will try to hold on to the shore. They will feel they are being torn apart and will suffer greatly. Know the river has its destination. The elders say we must let go of the shore, push off into the middle of the river, keep our eyes open, and our heads above the water.
And I say, see who is in there with you and celebrate. At this time in history, we are to take nothing personally, least of all ourselves. For the moment that we do, our spiritual growth and journey come to a halt.
The time of the one wolf is over. Gather yourselves! Banish the word ’struggle’ from your attitude and your vocabulary. All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration.
We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.
--Hopi Elders' Prophecy, June 8, 2000
Andromeda Galax Milky Way Collision
There is obviously a lot here. A lot of inspiration, power, and passion. When I sat down to write this piece, I immediately thought of that phrase: The Time of the Lone Wolf Is Over.
Our Culture has raised many of us to think in a Lone Wolf manner. We talk about hierarchies in terms of who the Alpha is and dominating and having power over others is still a way many try to succeed in our culture.
As it says in this piece, however, that time is over! Gather yourselves! See who is there with you and:
Be good to each other.
And do not look outside yourself for your leader.
I think this is an important element.
Our culture is so bent on hierarchies and letting other people lead us so that we don't have to take ultimate responsibility over our lives that many of us have forgotten how to be assertive, challenge authority, question the current systems and gradually and then completely recreate the paradigms by which we live.
Community empowerment is based on the concept that when each of us succeeds and is given the tools and skills to manifest our dreams and visions for the betterment of all, that we're all better off. It celebrates the fact that when we rely upon one another and are "in it together" that we are stronger.
It takes the lone wolf thinking (that if I succeed, there is less success for you) and throws it out the window. It knows that strong bonds create stronger and healthier people.
I like to look at it like an ecosystem.
In our food forests (which we made an extensive post on yesterday which you can see here), there are many members in the plant community. Each brings different elements to the table. For example, around our apple tree, we have plants which bring up nutrients from way down deep in the earth that build the soil around the apple and plants that deter pests, plants that bring pollinators in and the apple which will provide shade for some of these members when it gets big enough.
When studying Ecosystem Management in University, one of the things that stuck out to me the most was that Diversity strengthens ecosystems (this is one of the biggest issues with monoculture farming methods widely used today). In a diversified planting, if one plant gets wiped out, the others still exist- not so when you only have a field of all of one crop. Plus, the differing plants (as specifically pointed out above) support, complement and strengthen one another.
This is just like it can be with humans. We are all unique entities with our own strengths and talents which can support, complement, boost, teach, inspire, challenge, soothe, care for and enliven one another. When we try to go at life alone, we miss out on these strengthening relationships.
Without community empowerment (and this is one the reasons it is so dang important), we try to go through life on our own and we are worse off for it.
We celebrate successes and failures on our own. That may be okay when things are flowing smoothly, but, especially in times of need, community support and connection is one of the most important elements to resiliency. People are on the whole more resilient when they have each other.
In the tasks that we are about - raising conscious awareness around earth-centered, spiritually connected, vibrant and holistic living- we truly need each other. When you're a "black sheep" or other type of misfit or rebel, we really need those strengthening bonds to have the staying power to continue along this path.
Ultimately, when one within a community that seeks to empower each of its members succeeds, more members in the community succeed because that person takes their success and uses it to boost others. This is drastically different than people who "make it" and no longer think about supporting or being connected to others.
Obviously there are many different sectors of life in which we can focus on community empowerment.
In our small rural community, we like to gather often and share food and seeds, exchange ideas, we help out (like a "barn raising") when someone needs help with a project, we're there to listen and support one another in difficult times and celebrate when the good times are rolling.
For this article, however, I want to focus in on Steemit and how @TribeSteemUp specifically is a perfect example of Community Empowerment.
For anyone who has been here a while, you start to learn the "game" of Steemit. No matter how good your posts are, or how often you post, unless you have support of people who have a lot of gathered Steem Power, your account will not grow.
The Tribe Steem Up Model is so revolutionary and the epitomy of Community Empowerment because people like @kennyskitchen and @jamesc have vision to support and boost them. If you're new to what this is all about, let me break it down.
Tribe Steem UP is a community abundance generator. As you know, each Steemian gets 10 100% upvotes per day and after that the Voting Power must recharge (to keep it at a high and efficient level). Many generous people have delegated to the group Tribe Steem UP and and the vote is worth nearly $80 (at 100%) as I type this. Instead of holding onto their own steem power (lone wolf thinking), these generous community minded people have delegated it to the tribe, who write about
| Community Empowerment | Love | Original Music | Esotericism |
| Healthy Recipes | Psychedelics | Truth | Permaculture |
Being a part of the tribe, then, we each get a guaranteed vote each day spreading this abundance. These topics also get more visibility and we are working to be the change we wish to see in this world! This is community thinking at its finest!
At the heart of this is creating a cycle of abundance and gratitude. I know each of us are so thankful to be included in this amazing community effort and, for me, this has the result of cycling that abundance back. I want to grow my account so I, too, can support and empower my community.
This could be replicated all over Steemit! The nature of the Steem Blockchain is ripe for Community Empowerment!
Community Empowerment can be economic and around creating a tribe of like-minded individuals who support one another, as mentioned above, but it can also be about creating spaces where people can come and receive tools and skills to help them on their way.
@thegreens is an incredible member of the Steemit community who is doing just that with his Eco-detergents and upcycled clothing initiatives. He is empowering over 100 individuals to get the skills and tools they need to succeed and is also giving out interest free loans for people to start their own initiatives in their communities. This is also the heart of community empowerment and I get chills when I type it!!
In closing, there are many ways to support each other instead of only looking out for ourselves. The sky is the limit and this paradigm really calls on our creativity to continue to dream big and think of ways we can support one another. One reason I love being on Steemit is that it calls my soul to expand my circle of influence and support and dream up ways I can empower and support others. So thankful for this inspiration!!
We are the ones we have been waiting for.
And we're here together.
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