Gemeinschaftsgefühl
Rocco
Thought you might enjoy it.
http://www.woodlandstar.net/WSblog/?p=1496
What a wonderful word. Only the Germans could contrive something that
is nearly impossible for Americans to pronounce. However, a close
approximation is ga-MINE-scofts-ga-full. Place the emphasis on MINE.
And what does any of this have to do with Occupy as a global
revolution? Actually the word explains what it is about people that
unites them with a common cause. It is their “sense of community” or
in German “Gemeinschaftsgefühl”. Now when you are approached by the
media or naysayers and they ask “why are you protesting” you can shout
back a snappy “My Gemeinschaftsgefühl”!
The word was made popular from the work of Alfred Adler a Viennese
psychiatrist and founder of the school of ‘individual psychology’. But
more importantly Adler believed that people who had this “sense of
community” were able to arouse in others their own sense of joyful
community spirit. And as a group would find “practical actions that
are exercised for the social good.” And here we come to the crux of
the dilemma for supporters of a Global Occupy Revolution. Do they
develop practical actions that reflect “joyful community spirit” (such
as peaceful assembly) or actions that reflect ego indulgence for
immediate gratification (violent actions)?
In the far future there exists a potential world that is governed by
joy and compassion. And in that same future there exists a potential
world that is governed by fear and service to self. The actions you
select today will be the deciding factor in which potential achieves
fruition.
