27 Jun Two Words

Transactional.And giving.
Two adjectives.
Both underscore relationships-community.
One divides.
The other unites.

Young people constantly look towards adults for suggestion.And direction.
All adults-without exception.

And what do they see? Do they witness acts of kindness-of giving-without personal motive,financial incentive or the leverage of ‘likes’?Or do they view transactions?

How does a young person learn to meaningfully contribute to their community surrounded by transactions,many masked as ‘giving’ by social media-the leverage applauded by those wanting to bolster their own platform.How?

Adult actions affect those of our children-and theirs.

What exactly have we learnt from this pandemic?
And what will young people learn.

We’ve lost a lot. And not all recently.The losing has become habitual and associated directly with transaction-including the art of giving. Ironically we need to ‘take’ giving back.

We must ensure giving is intentionally unconditional not conditionally transactional.

(Conditionality giving is aimed at seeking personal benefit whereas unconditional giving is to seek mutual benefit.)

I wonder how our communities would look given such a reframe?

Young people are looking on.And adults are too.