It is the time of the year when harvesting has its high time. Deep into the night I hear computer aided and GPS controlled harvesting giants working under spot lights. Thinking back and comparing to the old days, the development of technology and science have made it possible to drive the efficiency of a crops field to its sole maximum. Congratulations to all who have led to this achievement!
(Probably among them are some industrial engineering fellows of about my age and education…) I must admit, I belong to this era of perfectionalization after the era of industrialization and significant inventions, but I am not feeling any good, especially during this time of the year to enjoy the celebrations. Here are my mighty thoughts…
Sure, I am grateful about my life with its possibilities and challenges. I value my food, my home and my great children day by day as well as my problems that help me separate the chaff from the wheat… This is literally the core of harvesting AND thanking at the end! I am not a farmer to be involved in those activities but a curious and intelligent observer. During my Sunday walk I have been thinking about the broader meaning of thanksgiving which then led to writing these lines. I also shot this picture not far away from where I live as an eyecatcher so that you would read and share my text hopefully if you like.
„Sharing is caring“ is the slogan, when it comes to online marketing. Well, this is the „zeitgeist“ of the era we are living in and how business is done nowadays. I welcome the sharing part as I believe that it is a human attitude to share where the opportunity is given. It does not hurt, supports the other part and the interaction makes happy. There is also that ego-ism concept, but I believe this helps more than it destroys when one would act with good deeds in mind. Ever heard the saying „if everyone takes care of himself, everyone is taken care of“? I mean, we are all good people down in our hearts, but not good at communicating and less in understanding the others corrrectly. Well, let me leave that discussion here as I don’t want to write about perspectives today.
Thanksgiving in broader meaning is all about this gratefulness and sharing. In German it is called „Erntedankfest“ and is celebrated in many variations from mid of August till October. In every part of the world, every culture and religion has its own time, rituals and preferences how this core human feeling can be expressed and lived. Emphasizing on the „can be“ part… I find myself asking if this is still the case or if all the industrialization and modernization already had significant effects on our ability to feel, reflect, share and thank. Our capability to harvest by ourselves is only in very restricted cases possible in the meanwhile, which is a reason to detach us from the „normal“ way nature and mankind functions… I hope you realize, how uncomfortable I am getting nowadays with all those harvesting giants brumming around!
When I am confronted with headlines such as „International aid agencies ignore a growing malnutrition“ or „A staggering 50 million people in 45 countries are just one step from famine“ from the humanitarian aid organisations, my emotions are in a muddle. On one side we are able to produce food x-times more than 20-30 years ago but are not able to feed our own mankind, not to mention the animals threatened with extinction! Sure, other aspects are included but at the end we are keeping our eyes wide shut!
I cannot enjoy my second cup of coffee any more, as this would not be necessary for me but can save a whole family from starving on that day. Or I tend to buy less fresh food as it may decay and has to be wasted, where other people do not have the possibility to buy that in the first place. These are my tiny contributions, but they do not feel satisfying at all. I want to share and support, but all I can do is to channel my donation in good faith so that individuals who are in need will get what they need. Don’t get me wrong: I am grateful for all the possibilities given by these humanitarian aid organizations… I just want to get involved in the process: I want to have real contact with real people and give „from hand to hand“.
These are my thoughts nowadays… As creative (and somehow crazy) as my mind can be, I am considering possibilities, where a one-to-one support could be achieved. I know, there are some programmes where I can be a sponsor of a child… but life is much more! If parents are not healthy and sated, who will take care of the children? My idea is a kind of matching two families for longer time support and exchange, with the aim of real sharing and caring – and not an unknown „I have donated and I am out“ kind of support. On the other hand I am seriously considering becoming a kind of development worker for short time assignments to have „hands on“ support where I can.
So that is it… To make it short, I appreciate, if you know any organizations which already provide this kind of matching and inform me. Or you have parallel thinking but don’t know how to canalize the efforts, let us just get in touch, two minds are more than one! Do you have experience in „hands on supporting“? Then I would be glad to have contact… I have thousans of questions!
I am wishing you all a happy thanksgiving!
P.S.: Here is a link for the case you find the idea of direct supporting great but are bound to stay a „hands off suporter“: