I am pleased to be among the presenters for the upcoming Community Conversation on the topic of “Welcoming.”
In preparation for what I hope will be a thought-provoking evening providing an opportunity for local discussion on this important topic, we have been asked to consider the following questions: How do we welcome people into our community? What are the factors that might influence our reception of those unfamiliar to us? Do some people live in our communities for years without anyone taking notice? Why?
I hope to offer solutions for discussion, as that focus generally yields practical results. After all, most people are well enough acquainted with their problems that there is no need to point them out anyway.
However, I realize that solutions that work, such as diet and exercise, are commonly considered hopelessly dull and overly simplistic, and therefore will attempt to make the upcoming presentation mercifully brief.
The job of responding effectively to the important questions above comes down to two concepts: principle and purpose. The guiding principle, perhaps most beautifully and succinctly expressed as “love thy neighbor,” has been restated in a myriad of ways by great philosophers, poets and religious movements throughout recorded history.
Adopting a positive attitude toward those who are different from ourselves,and putting this approach into practice in our daily lives, generates tremendous benefits. Respect, common courtesy and genuine personal interest in others are deeply felt and appreciated by the recipient, but are even more worthwhile to our own health and well-being.
In a world seemingly obsessed with mistaken calculations of short-term gain or loss, this guiding principle is the key to not only our personal, but indeed to our regional success. Studies inform us of the statistical weight of evidence that the workforce, which will sustain our American dream in the future, will be comprised of a multicolored, multigenerational, multicultural tapestry of individuals who share our birthright of the freedom to strive to create a better life for themselves and their families.
Which brings us to the need for purpose. The genius of programs like Monadnock Worksource is the recognition that those with a disability need more than care, but also the opportunity to constructively contribute and participate in the life of their community. The most successful recovery programs for alcoholics and those addicted to other drugs are focused on taking action to aid others with similar difficulties.
Committing to a vocation of your choosing, as David Brooks recently observed, is not simply important for obtaining living wage employment, but is indeed “…a moral act.” Good jobs and the ability to grow in our careers and be of greater service, not only improves our economy, but provides us the opportunity to live a purposeful life. Even through transitions such as aging and retirement, a commitment to living for a purpose greater than oneself is a most reliable pathway back into the very life of our community.
If we look into the possibilities locally, we readily discover that our abilities are greatly in demand in many worthwhile undertakings and learn how much our help is truly needed.
Here, apart from the mass of humanity found in urban settings, we have the opportunity to know one another as individuals. Despite the widely varying backgrounds, faiths, ethnicity and experience of those we come to know, we need not give in to the temptation to classify them as ‘groups.’
Living by such principles – and to good purpose – a warm welcome we shall provide!
Andy Peterson is vice president and co-owner of The Petersons, Inc in Peterborough. He heads up the commercial sales division.