Economic Helpfulness

Although the idea of community hardly has enemies, we seem to be losing it. When hardship comes, we don’t ask our neighbors for help. We expect the insurance industry or the federal government to step in. We’re advised not to lend money, especially to friends and family. Wendell Berry tells the story of his friend, an Amish farmer, who was once asked to define community. His answer: “When I plow in the spring I can look around and see seventeen teams at work on neighboring farms. I know those men and their teams and I know that if I was hurt or sick those men and their teams would be at work on my farm.” Although it’s a description not many of us can give, it’s a practical one. We all know that community has cultural and emotional value but is it necessary? Does it have practical value?

Communities naturally have a component of charity, which is really economic helpfulness. A successful community supports itself, amuses itself, consoles itself, and passes its knowledge onto the young. I appreciate Berry’s description of a local community as one of common dependence on a common life and a common ground. In a vibrant agrarian community, the productive work that is necessary to the economy is accomplished by the community. This added economic value is present to some degree in non-agrarian communities too. My first three jobs were thanks to the kindness of business people in my community. They taught me grant writing and general office skills, serious resume builders for someone with a philosophy degree. This practical help is something any community can offer.