PEP TALK 3 – THINK LOCALLY, ACT LOCALLY!

Promoting Enduring Peace has published my 3^rd PEP Talk – Think Locally, Act Locally! If you need a break from all the bad news we keep hearing about on the global stage, you might like hearing about some good local news. In this episode, I talk about what happens when local people get together to solve local problems. Thinking locally, and acting locally, inspires people and strengthens communities. This helps create a better world.

Neighbor Brigade is a local organization started by a cancer survivor, Pam Washek, who was thankful for the help her family received when she was recovering. This marvelous woman, and our dear friend, sadly died of her disease in 2012, but Neighbor Brigade continues to thrive and now brings help and support to thousands of families in communities around New England.

Neighbor Brigade raising funds and building community in memory of founder Pam Washek.

Another example is the Congolese island of Idjwi. In the midst of desperate poverty, a dysfunctional government, ethnic discrimination and geostrategic vulnerability, this peaceful little community is characterized by strong grass-roots organizations and community ties that engage and empower its citizens.

These examples demonstrate the value of caring community networks. But, surprisingly, recent research by Benjamin Allen and his team also suggests that these strong local networks, and the myriad of others like them in communities around the world, also help to build a global society in which cooperation and empathy can spread and flourish.

So please, join in with the efforts of a local community organization to address a local problem, and feel good about yourself. Thinking locally, and acting locally, also serves our global society. Then bring some of that good energy, and those local networks, to help work on our global problems, too.

Enjoy doing something good today.

The complete PEP Talk can be viewed on YouTube.