SHAPING YOUR FAMILY’S FUTURE
5 • ENLARGING THE CIRCLE
Experimental psychologists have shown that people who believe that others are honest are themselves less likely to lie, cheat, or steal and are more likely to respect the rights of others. (Putnam 2000, 136–37) What’s interesting about this is not only what it tells us about people but also the assumption that lies behind it. In truth, it’s impossible to separate ourselves from the culture in which we live just like we are part of the family into which we are born. In looking at your family of origin and the way it has shaped you, we’ve seen that we are products of our familial environment. For more on this topic, click the Talk It Over
5A•TALK IT OVER button. What Your Community Can Do for You Since your community is the people and places you interact with most often, this is
where your decisions about cultural interaction will play out. This is also where you can find clues about the way your family of origin thought about culture and community. As you think about community, keep in mind that the questions we ask ourselves about
community are often quite different from those of our parents and grandparents. The ways we experience community have changed tremendously in the past fifty years. It’s not that previous generations were more community minded
than we are. Rather, they didn’t have to think about community as intentionally as we do. For most of our parents and grandparents, community just happened; it was a result of being near people. Connecting with your community doesn’t necessarily mean
becoming a “joiner.” You don’t have to sign up for Bible studies and other kinds of clubs or groups. You connect through more casual relationships—hanging out with friends, hosting a neighborhood cookout, grabbing a movie with people from church.
For more on community, click the Talk It Over button. 5B•TALK IT OVER 37
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97