Networking is a fancy new word
we use nowadays that refers to linking computers together for the exchange
of information (the Internet) or building informal relationships
with people for job or business opportunities. In the good old days, networking took place all the time. It was
known as community spirit: looking
out for each other, making resources available to meet another’s needs as you
became aware of them. Doing a good turn for those needing it. Being neighborly.
It’s what family and friends would do when they became aware of the needs of
others.
Working
together is why we want to live in families and communities. Although with
today’s fast pace, many individuals are too focused on their own problems to
reach out to help others. Take families as an example. Young married couples
should be able to go to their parents for advice and support as they raise
their own children. Unfortunately, most young parents want to do it their way
and stumble through the process, neglecting to ask their own father or mother
for advice. What a waste of time and good experience gained through the school
of hard knocks.
What
could be the role of grandparents or aunts and uncles in a family? They are
retired now and involved in their own leisure pursuits, but could provide a
safety net(work) of love and support for their progenitors as they try to raise
immature dependent children into responsible productive adults?
It
was easier in olden times where physical work daily was necessary to sustain
the family. Now, many youth are without responsibilities at home and aren’t
taught to network or strengthen others through their contributions. There is
always work to be done at home. It may not be milking the cow, but there are
meals to cooks, dishes to cleanup, laundry to do and garbage to take out. In
two-parent family where both spouses work and especially single parent
families, children need to pitch in and carry their load.
Youth
left to their own pleasures will usually chose video games over sweeping the
floor or clearing off the dinner dishes. It’s time to re-teach networking or
family unity. Many participate in social networking on FACEBOOK, but how about
on a more practical level with the day-to-day labors required to make a house a
home and a group of individuals into a family? NEXT TIME: Codependency.