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> I don't know how we do it, but we need to start rebuilding community as a social network of interpersonal support In my opinion, this is one of the problems
by ythn 9y ago
> I don't know how we do it, but we need to start rebuilding community as a social network of interpersonal support
In my opinion, this is one of the problems effective religion solves. I'm betting one of the reasons Utah is good at "giving a crap" is because it has a strong religious infrastructure that encourages members to reach out to others in the community. I remember one part of the article even talking about redrawing church boundaries such that people in middle/upper class neighborhoods are mingling/reaching out to people living in trailer park neighborhoods.
I too am tired of the mentality that government programs can solve any problem given enough money. Social workers can only make their clients feel so loved. Having a neighbor reach out to your family without being paid to do so has a tremendous impact on mental health that social workers can't replicate.
- projektir 9y agoReligions of the Christian flavor (probably Muslim, as well, not sure), at least, have means to unite people who are otherwise not aligned together naturally, since Christianity specifically denies the importance of skill and power, which instantly popup as virtues when you remove religion. The philosophy of Christianity, however flawed and poorly executed and rife with error, is that nobody is special before God, that your money will be lost when you die, that an obviously superior world is possible and available, that no matter what you do you can be forgiven and receive love. That's powerful. And in the face of the world we live in also very, very strange. Once that was removed, nothing was put in its place, religious or not.