A deeper cut
Our deep connection to one another is undeniable. Whether or not we even like one another, we are intimately interconnected. We bleed the same and breathe the same; we feel fear the same. We are 99.9% the same. Yet we focus our whole lives on what is different about us, and it is time to stand that on its head.
As one of us goes, so go all of us. When millions of your neighbors are unable to obtain the essentials of life, it is your struggle, too. When danger and instability define the daily lives of people across this country, it is your life that is at risk. And it is your humanity that is being called.
The Aspen Grove
An aspen grove serves as the perfect metaphor for how we exist. While the grove may appear to separate trees of different sizes standing near one another, if you were to go beneath the surface you would see that there is only one root system.
Each tree is connected to the other, an interconnectedness that mirrors our connection to one another. We may not think we are part of one another, but it is undeniable that we are. COVID was one more example of this, but there is proof all around each of us each day. The question is whether or not we can live up to it, for that is the key to ending poverty.
- Mark Bergel, Ph.D., co-founder, The Shared Humanity Project
Join a cohort
Learn from individuals across the country about what is working well — or not working well — in their communities. Or work with your own neighbors from different sectors.
If your community needs to make greater progress, working with a cohort may increase the likelihood of success.