Needed: sustainable community-businesses during Downturn

The Chinese character for 'Crisis' means both 'opportunity' and 'danger'. One of the many opportunities of this crisis (both financial and climate-change-induced) is for a global community to come together at a much deeper and more sustainable manner. One of the dangers is for the community we have to fall apart - and the worst of us to emerge.

Recently I learned that back on the street where I used to live in Berkeley, California, three significant shops had closed - a community pharmacy (that offered discount yoga and nutrition classes for all ages), a much-loved coffee shop and a favored, locally owned restaurant that had been a staple of that particular community for years.

Here in the UK, over 60 small, local newspapers have closed.

Near where I used to live in Kenya, a small business with a non-profit arm that used to offer tremendous services to mothers and young children has had to close down.

These are all relatively small enterprises that made a difference - not just to their bottom line but to the communities they serve. They were places that served the needs of a very local population that is no longer able to support them. One can wonder how 'needed' these places 'really' were - my old neighborhood in Berkeley at least one coffee shop a block - but I will hold that we need diversity and we need vibrant communities - and small local businesses, from coffee shops to newspapers to nutrition stores, make the world a happier place. Where will the people who used to get their coffee, their alternative medicines and their local gossip go?

In the US and the UK, 'the worst of us' hasn't emerged (much), but in the riots in Eastern Europe it is less certain. I'm reminded of that old folk song that emerged in the American Depression, 'Brother can you spare a dime'. The second verse is, 'Don't you recall, I'm your pal.' - the community the song writer spoke about had been breached. Friendships and communities don't always come together during hard times. Sometimes they fall apart.

Where are we going to create the space for sustainable relationships and communities? Churches, civil society organizations, and supporting local businesses becomes increasingly important. I know a lot of folks who are working longer, harder hours these days. I say to them - and to any of you - don't work so hard (or in such a way) that you loose your friendships and your community. Now, more than ever, we need to make extra efforts to strengthen bonds. And to find innovative ways of mixing local businesses and enterprises with the social needs of local communities.