{"id":4079,"date":"1959-10-01T01:00:00","date_gmt":"1959-10-01T01:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/about-us\/history\/letter\/october-1959-vol-40-no-8-building-a-better-community\/"},"modified":"2022-11-28T13:07:06","modified_gmt":"2022-11-28T13:07:06","slug":"october-1959-vol-40-no-8-building-a-better-community","status":"publish","type":"rbc_letter","link":"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/about-us\/history\/letter\/october-1959-vol-40-no-8-building-a-better-community\/","title":{"rendered":"October 1959 &#8211; Vol. 40, No. 8 &#8211; Building a Better Community"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"layout-column-main\">\n<p>Community, in the sense of &#8220;a better community&#8221; does not                     mean a municipality, a trading area, or a district. There                     is a richness in the word &#8220;community&#8221; that goes far beyond                     all these and has something to do with the flowering of human                     lives.<\/p>\n<p>People in good communities are neighbours in the democratic                     process. They co-operate and collaborate to solve problems                     and make improvements. They are comprehended in St. Augustine&#8217;s                     definition of human society: a group, large or small, of people                     united by agreement as to the things they love.<\/p>\n<p>The dynamic quality that makes a community good does not                     reside in the official structure, but in the interests, desires                     and purposes of the people in it. If a community wishes to                     improve itself in Canada it has freedom to try, without coercion                     or external control. Citizen knowledge, interest and action                     are the lifeblood of our democratic society.<\/p>\n<p>A collection of houses, shops and factories may be as small                     as a hamlet or as big as a metropolis. It may not be the most                     beautiful in Canada, or the most efficient, or the most dignified                     by public buildings and statues, but it can aspire to be a                     lovable community. Its men and women can make it so.<\/p>\n<p>Plato was strongly impressed with the social nature of man,                     and with the need to think about society in its relation to                     man&#8217;s life. In his study of ethics, instead of enquiring into                     the characteristics of a virtuous life in an individual, Plato                     endeavoured first to determine the characteristics of a good                     State. Having found what these are, he believed that it would                     be perfectly easy to infer what are the characteristics of                     a good man.<\/p>\n<p>It seemed to Plato that there were four virtues required                     for the existence of an ideal State: wisdom, courage, temperance                     and justice. These are qualities which will serve as a standard                     of judgment and behaviour in building a better community.<\/p>\n<p>To have a community, men must work together; to have a better                     community they must have common principles. Their individual                     purposes need not be all the same, but the basic things in                     which they believe must be identical. They must live by the                     same rules.<\/p>\n<p>The intimacy and stability of the small town or neighbourhood                     have been severely shaken by technology and mobility. We find                     it difficult to contrive new gadgets and yet hold fast to                     old institutions and forms of behaviour. But we can be comforted                     by the thought that if community life is somewhat imperfect                     the fault can be corrected by more earnest planning and doing.<\/p>\n<h3>Sense of community<\/h3>\n<p>What is the core of community building? It is not a master                     plan or a detailed blue-print, or the acquirement of                     park space, or the flotation of loans. It is the spirit of                     the people.<\/p>\n<p>When neighbours start asking questions about the future                     they are developing a community feeling. When they ask: &#8220;Where                     are we heading; what can we do to make and keep our neighbourhood                     a good place to live?&#8221; then they will find the resources to                     face the furore with confidence and anticipation.<\/p>\n<p>Most of us would admit that we are not satisfied with what                     is mediocre. We have higher values. But to gain what is excellent                     it is not enough that we wish for it. We need to exert ourselves                     to get it, being dissatisfied to settle for anything less                     than the best.<\/p>\n<p>People cannot live in isolation, so they need to plan for                     getting along together. Machines, possessions and utilities                     are useful only to the extent that they add to the comfort                     of living. They do not substitute for the feeling of friendship                     and communion.<\/p>\n<p>One of the exciting things about any neighbourhood is that                     it consists of people who differ in background, in their recognition                     of civic problems, and in their acceptance of proposed solutions.<\/p>\n<p>We have a larger number of cultures represented in Canada                     than in most countries of the world, and this merging of cultures                     contributes to the richness and diversity of life. The varied                     folkways, languages, customs, craft skills and ideals can                     be shared, so that the community becomes the handiwork of                     all.<\/p>\n<p>Where there are different folkways, there is need of tolerance.                     The good community is not built by people who think that their                     preferred way of living is the only right way. We need skill                     in the process of working together. We need to take our places                     as members of groups. Our education system, recreation programmes                     and progressive health plans can be deprived of their goodness                     if we allow our community to become poisoned by bigotry or                     snobbery.<\/p>\n<h3>Getting started<\/h3>\n<p>What are the causes of civic apathy? They include a feeling                     of defeatism and discouragement; failure of the authorities                     to bring civic matters within the field of interest and concern                     of every representative segment of the people; failure to                     communicate, to explain, to consult; scepticism about the                     good that can be contributed by individual effort.<\/p>\n<p>Another difficulty in some municipalities is the jangle                     of competition among elected representatives, social and civic                     agencies, and voluntary associations. Their competition for                     the attention, the energy and the support of the people results                     in confusion out of which arises a feeling of &#8220;what&#8217;s the                     use?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>A democratic society needs an orderly process for considering                     its problems. All the elected and voluntary groups having                     to do with education, health, town planning, recreation, social                     service and general wellbeing need to develop consultative                     machinery. Co-ordination will eliminate duplication and                     frustration, and focus the interest and energy of all the                     people on the most important things to be tackled and completed.<\/p>\n<p>Any municipality is capable of providing what its people                     want if the people reach agreement about their desires and                     pursue their ideals with planned energy. The question challenging                     everybody is: Are you sincerely interested in working to make                     your neighbourhood the best place on earth in which to live                     and bring up your children? If the answer is &#8220;yes&#8221;, then your                     ideal personality will find itself, and work out its hopes,                     in joint action with other like-minded persons.<\/p>\n<p>The respected citizen in every city or town does more than                     merely live there. He achieves dignity through his contribution                     to the community of which he is a part. Alfred Adler put it                     this way: &#8220;People always make mistakes if they do not see                     that their whole significance must consist in their contribution                     to the lives of others.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>To participate does not call for an heroic grappling with                     uninteresting situations. Everyone should concern himself                     with finding a phase of activity which commands his honest                     interest. Everyone has some quality of mind or hand to make                     his contribution significant.<\/p>\n<h3>Business and the community<\/h3>\n<p>This principle applies with full force to business companies.                     Business executives may deplore the conflict of pressure groups                     and the chaotic official structure in the municipality in                     comparison with the well-organized efficiency of their                     own offices and factories, but they cannot ignore community                     affairs. A good business is a good citizen, with citizenship                     privileges and responsibilities.<\/p>\n<p>Looking at this relationship in another way, we realize                     that firms operating industries want their people to be happy,                     and therefore look upon a good community as part of their                     assets. Among the qualities studied before establishing a                     factory or branch are these: the extent of cultural activity,                     the adequacy of the school system and the extent and type                     of community facilities. One firm selected its new branch                     site more than a thousand miles from other sites under consideration                     because of a favourable community situation.<\/p>\n<p>The good community offers opportunities to men and women                     to demonstrate social qualities which are also good business                     qualities. Young people who have shown leadership talent in                     the affairs of their municipalities are preferred choices                     for advancement in the managerial staffs of their companies.<\/p>\n<p>Big industries are properly reluctant to assume a parent                     role in community development. They encourage their workers                     to participate in making the municipality into a good community.                     The result may not be perfect, but it is more lovable than                     the spotless efficiency of the benevolent father.<\/p>\n<p>The welfare municipality may be noble in motive, but it                     provides more and more things for men which once they provided                     for themselves. This involves making decisions for men which                     once they made for themselves, and undertaking responsibilities                     which once were theirs, and thus diminishing the special qualities                     that distinguish man from animals and vegetables, the special                     qualities that make him man.<\/p>\n<p>As was said at the Duke of Edinburgh&#8217;s Study Conference                     by a speaker from Africa&#8217;s Gold Coast: &#8220;People are happier                     and become better citizens if they are encouraged to think                     and to put effort into doing things for themselves, for their                     families and for their community group.&#8221; There are all sorts                     of things which it is better for a community to do for itself,                     even if these things could be done more efficiently by outsiders.<\/p>\n<h3>Asking questions<\/h3>\n<p>A transition implies not merely a goal but a starting point.                     If we are to move the community, as Archimedes threatened                     to move the world with his lever, we need some ground to stand                     on.<\/p>\n<p>There are certain key words to guide the person seeking                     a way to improve his community: <em>find out <\/em>the necessary                     facts; <em>survey <\/em>the areas where improvement is needed;                     <em>make an inventory <\/em>of the resources in people and materials;                     <em>explore <\/em>means of rousing interest; inform the public                     of every step; <em>provide opportunities <\/em>for everyone to                     share in the planning and work.<\/p>\n<p>After making a survey of the municipality, be sure to validate                     your findings: is this proposed change really significant                     to an appreciable number of citizens? It is easy to become                     caught up in momentary enthusiasm for something trifling.                     The man who finds his car caught in a bottleneck wants the                     cork drawn, but does the end justify a community effort?<\/p>\n<p>It is necessary in any society to learn not merely the facts                     of life but how those facts are viewed by other people. One                     should relate what is strategically desirable to what is technically                     possible with the facilities at one&#8217;s disposal and the support                     one will be given.<\/p>\n<p>Instead of floundering around in the underbrush, speculating                     as to where the path is, let us climb a tree and see the whole                     landscape. Instead of a mere track there may be a broad highway                     within sight. The search for utopias and the fountain of eternal                     youth have been fruitless, but it has been a boon to mankind                     that there have been people eager to climb the heights looking                     for them.<\/p>\n<p>If someone were to ask the question: &#8220;What sort of community                     are you seeking to build?&#8221; the answer might be something like                     this: the people in our ideal community are alert to community                     interests and are ready to seize opportunities for civic betterment;                     groups and workers communicate readily, so that people are                     not working at cross purposes; everyone takes pride in co-operative                     achievement and joyfully accepts civic responsibility; the                     organizations have aims that are clearly stated, ardently                     pursued, and efficiently carried out.<\/p>\n<p>Municipalities become good communities more by the positive                     actions of good men and women than by the repression or extermination                     of evil. Negative aims are not enough. We need the invigorating                     stimulus of supporting some cause dynamically or pursuing                     some purpose fervently.<\/p>\n<h3>Constant adjustment<\/h3>\n<p>Making the community a wholesome place to live in implies                     more than occasional outbursts of energy.<\/p>\n<p>All our institutions are undergoing change, rendered necessary                     by the progressive civilization of mankind. Fixations in social                     patterns have to be replaced by willingness to explore.<\/p>\n<p>Adaptation is a continuous process in nature, of which we                     are a part. We seek to hold fast to that which is good, while                     adding innovating practices of promise. It is important to                     see that the changes are not made with a view to merely temporary                     advantages.<\/p>\n<p>The good community cannot be created by a junto of busybodies,                     but it does need the services of a lot of busy people. There                     is no galaxy of experts competent to build a good community.                     It is necessary to make proper use of expert knowledge while                     preserving control by the people.<\/p>\n<p>One function of the voluntary body is to ascertain and make                     known the needs of the community and the desires of the people.                     The municipal government will have statistics of population,                     houses, miles of streets, acres of parks, and so forth, but                     it cannot read from its files the human experiences and aspirations                     on which planning a better community should be based.<\/p>\n<p>People like to participate in community life. The need for                     a swimming pool and the need of a man for participation in                     community life are separate and distinct needs: they come                     together when the process for acquiring a swimming pool permits                     the citizen to take part in planning it. They do not blend                     when people are forced to accept a solution worked out for                     them under the sort of government called &#8220;consent-democracy&#8221;                     wherein they are limited to saying &#8220;yes&#8221; or &#8220;no&#8221; to a prepared                     plan.<\/p>\n<p>There are many needs in a democratic society which cannot                     be met by statutory authority. It was said in the Report of                     the Royal Commission on National Development in the Arts,                     Letters and Sciences (the Massey Commission): &#8220;The importance                     of voluntary societies in a democracy needs little emphasis                     in this generation which knows that their suppression is the                     first move of a dictatorship; but it is perhaps not fully                     realized to what extent democracy depends upon their activities&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>A progressive civic council will recognize citizen participation                     as a high priority need. It will pool the experience and thinking                     of those citizens and groups of citizens most competent to                     consider various problems that crop up, and then incorporate                     that thinking in its deliberation.<\/p>\n<p>The best planning will flower when the diverse parts of                     the community &#8211; council, school board, welfare agencies, labour                     and business leaders, religious leaders, service clubs and                     all other groups &#8211; discuss the needs of the municipality with                     one another, establish priorities, and combine their resources                     to do the work.<\/p>\n<p>Social life revolves around these organizations and groups,                     and all of them are community forces waiting to be channelled                     into a tremendous force for community betterment. The small                     streams will join together at the touch of a master force                     to form a river of considerable size and power.<\/p>\n<p>This good result of group participation and the union of                     groups is not produced by establishing a hierarchy of leaders                     or cliques but by a fusion of thought among people of earnest                     goodwill. A writer about democracy said it this way: If I                     give you a dollar and you give me a dollar, we shall each                     have one dollar; but if I give you an idea and you give me                     an idea, we shall each have two ideas.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps it will be necessary, in order to get things started,                     to bring the groups together under a moderator who is not                     a member of any of the groups. The individuality of groups                     must be respected, while striving for effective co-operative                     action.<\/p>\n<p>A round-table conference will bring to light many ideas                     for the good of the community. Any neighbourhood in Canada                     can muster an enormous amount of brains in such a gathering.<\/p>\n<p>When the ideas have been tabled, there are three things                     remaining to do. The needs should be grouped by kinds or areas                     so that the problems can be defined and discussed in an orderly                     way. When the problems have been specified and understood,                     the next step is to examine various plans for dealing with                     them. The third step is to assign groups or persons to take                     action.<\/p>\n<p>Round-table discussion is significant only when it                     deepens thought, broadens horizons and opens up vistas of                     vital service. It is insignificant when it is used by individuals                     for personal satisfaction, to press some private indulgence,                     or to prop up a pet project with a cobweb of words.<\/p>\n<p>The appearance of being a pressure group should be avoided.                     Volunteers should work constructively with the authorities                     as far as possible. We should not confuse the sort of co-operative                     group we have been discussing with so-called leagues                     which mushroom around election time as fronts for special                     issues.<\/p>\n<h3>On being realistic<\/h3>\n<p>Many of us are inclined, when we take part in community                     work, to lay aside the material measuring rod, which seems                     vulgar in so exalted activity, but we must be realistic in                     our aims and demands. We should not be like the philosophers                     castigated by Francis Bacon in his book <em>Advancement of                     Learning<\/em>. They make imaginary laws for imaginary commonwealths,                     and their discourses are as the stars, which give little light                     because they are so high.<\/p>\n<p>Some people with good intentions fail to get desirable things                     done because they think and talk in terms of vague generalizations;                     they don&#8217;t come to grips with real situations. Others hunt                     far and wide for novel or subtle ways of doing things, instead                     of facing the needs of the situation in a straightforward                     way. Still others fail to keep their eye on the bail. They                     have a programme on child welfare one month, on education                     the next, on the menace of the atom bomb the third month.                     Much is said, and probably there is a lot of good in it, but                     the effect is superficial and smattering, with little happening                     of a constructive nature.<\/p>\n<h3>Inform the people<\/h3>\n<p>Vital to the success of any movement for improving the community                     is that the people be kept informed fully and intelligibly.                     Community effort will prosper more by attraction than by promotion,                     but in order to attract you must inform.<\/p>\n<p>Here is a great and constructive work for the neighbourhood                     newspaper. Every issue should display reports of things planned                     and things done toward building a good community. Every editorial                     page should propose new ideas, comment on progress and heap                     coals upon the fires of enthusiasm.<\/p>\n<p>The newspaper can be, in words engraved upon the building                     of the <em>Detroit News<\/em>: &#8220;Reflector of every human interest&#8230;friend                     of every righteous cause&#8230;encourager of every generous act&#8230;mirror                     of the public mind&#8230;troubler of the public conscience&#8230;interpreter                     of the public intent&#8230;nourisher of the community spirit.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3>To sum up<\/h3>\n<p>It is better to participate in the creation of good things                     than to boast of their possession.<\/p>\n<p>Since the beginning, men and women who grouped themselves                     together in communities have been faced with many problems.                     In seeking solutions, they have been handicapped by ignorance,                     prejudice, and mental inertia. Despite all this, man has,                     over a few thousand years, succeeded in improving his environment                     and has had an enjoyable time doing it.<\/p>\n<p>It is, indeed, a poor rejoinder to say about a suggestion                     for community betterment &#8220;our fathers got along all right                     without all this fuss&#8221;. Because of the planning and work that                     they did we are given today&#8217;s opportunities. But we cannot                     be merely onlookers at the pageant of life.<\/p>\n<p>New conditions have brought new needs, and only the community                     whose people are guided by intelligent awareness of its needs                     and a determination to meet them can preserve the goodness                     it has.<\/p>\n<p>This is a job for people with faith that even the most threatening                     situation can be handled successfully by co-ordinated                     effort; that even the best they can imagine for their community                     can be achieved.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":79,"featured_media":0,"template":"","categories":[1],"rbc_letter_theme":[],"rbc_letter_year":[39],"class_list":["post-4079","rbc_letter","type-rbc_letter","status-publish","hentry","category-uncategorized","rbc_letter_year-39"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.4 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>October 1959 - Vol. 40, No. 8 - Building a Better Community - RBC<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/about-us\/history\/letter\/october-1959-vol-40-no-8-building-a-better-community\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"October 1959 - Vol. 40, No. 8 - Building a Better Community - RBC\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Community, in the sense of &#8220;a better community&#8221; does not mean a municipality, a trading area, or a district. 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There is a richness in the word &#8220;community&#8221; that goes far beyond all these and has something to do with the flowering of human lives. People in good communities are neighbours in the democratic process. 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