Saturday Groupthink
group•think [groop-thingk] noun
group•think [groop-thingk] noun
1. the practice of approaching problems or issues as matters that are best dealt with by consensus of a group rather than by individuals acting independently.
Photo credit: Donna Anderson, Berea Food Examiner
Berea
is a town filled with diverse people and lots and lots of creatives who care
about the earth. So in short the best
part of Berea is the community.
Berea
College convocations.
Grassroots
activism.
Small
town traditions with 21st century attitude.
There's
more than one "best" thing! How about the thriving academic community
due to being the home of a consistently rated best liberal arts college in the
south? Or the beautiful mountain scenery. Or the general feel of
welcome/community by the citizens. Or Papaleno's! Or the fight by several
citizens for social justice locally and globally.
I
appreciate that there is a small town feel while at the same time, so many
cultural opportunities provided by Berea College and the art community. Berea
Community School ranks right up there on my list of things to like, too. I
think the biggest thing I love about Berea is that there are so many people who
have a broader world view and a sense of interconnectedness. I've spent time in
other small towns where it seemed folks just are not aware of the world outside
their towns and never think about the big picture. I love being in a town where
it is easy to find other like minded people!
The
women owned businesses and locally owned places. There are still a few that the
big chains haven't pushed out.
Its
history.
In
30 minutes, a gathering of diverse, complex and intelligently curious people
who do not know the rules of football will come together for a Super Bowl
Party. In hand, they will carry fresh baked focaccia, organic pâté' (the cattle
tag number available on request) and homemade vegan and gluten free soups for
all.
The opportunities in berea... that is what
I like about this community, the chance... we are so close to extreme poverty,
yet so close to industrialized communities we are given the chance to define
what our community will be, sadly on that note we don't have a decent grocer in
this town, hopefully with ebt money flowing to the farmers market we can start
a new... it is better than our government dollars flowing to wal-mart any day
as they just take money out of the local system...
Local foods economy and the wealth of
speakers/musicians/artists we get in town because of the college.
* Every Saturday from now through election day (November 4th), I will be utilizing social media to pose a question to Bereans to explore what we value most about our town, and what we are willing to do to make it the very best. Please chime in as much as you can so we better understand what is on the minds of Bereans with different perspectives. Feel free to add your comments here too!
Awesome Lady!
ReplyDeleteThe people in Berea are amazing. Berea College has been source of infrastructure and support for the community from access to the community for audited courses, fitness center, the pinnacle, theatre, and library. But the real "win" of Berea, Kentucky are the people who care deeply about the Appalachian region, who care about the schools and the students who are educated there, who want a community that is not divided, but operates as one. Even on my small community sub-division, we had very different backgrounds and political beliefs, but we all cared for each other and watched out for each others children. Berea is a community that supports local businesses, community members who see the value of buying local in order to keep the profits in the community. Berea will always be a second home for our family.
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