Can't we get beyond the need to project our own family conflicts onto
previous and future generations?
The reason why it is difficult to pin down whether there is less community
service now than in the past is that as with any period of time in our
history, there are a lot of different things happening. The period of time
in which I grew up saw both the peace movement and the My Lai massacre.
Characterizing any period of time ends up inevitably saying more about the
characterizer than it does about the period of time.
I think we can all agree that at the present time, the movement towards
service learnilng in higher education is extremely positive and needs to be
encouraged. At the same time we see trends towards less of a sense of
community particularly in our large urban areas, and all of us should
be concerned about the potential down the road when these wonderful machines
on which we are now communicating make it unnecessary to ever leave your
house.
The book "Bowling Alone" could be helpful as a marketing tool for
service, but if it sparks the kind of intergenerational conflict we have
recently seen on the list it could be a serious threat to just the kind of
community we want to build.
Regards,
Tom Lindblade
Coordinator of Field and Experiential Learning
College of DuPage
Glen Ellyn, Illinois 60137
Ph: 708-942-2352 Fax 708-942-3764
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"Eventually all things merge into one, and a river runs through it.. The
river was cut by the world s great flood and runs over rocks from the
basement of time.....
I am haunted by waters ----- Norman Maclean
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