Happy Thanksgiving to you! This day, established as a legal government holiday in 1941, was set aside as a formal event to give thanks to our Maker for all that we enjoy. And I want you to know that I am very thankful for the many blessings in my life that I enjoy every day, not just when told to give thanks, every day.
So I slept in. Then I turned my television to one of my favorite channels–C-Span, Book TV–and caught, what could be a life-changing glimpse, of true thanks. Greg Mortenson spoke at the Book Festival in September 2010 at George Mason University, Fairfax VA. And it was broadcast today.
Mortenson’s book Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace…One School at a Time is now required reading for all officers and High Command of the United States military, all branches. And it is purchased in quantity by women’s groups and book clubs throughout the country.
Seems his book is also an international best-seller both here and abroad–in 39 countries and almost as many languages. People are hungry for his message of peace!
The three-fold message:
- Listen. Instead of imposing discipline and war upon others, ask others what they really need and want for themselves. In war-torn Afghanistan, children interact with and listen to their elders. The only place Mortenson found children interested in their elders consistently in the US is Mississippi. More than 50% of youth there spend time with their elders. So he recommends that we interview our elders learning our cultural background, our traditions, our lifeways.
- Become humble enough to encourage minds and empower people to help themselves. Helping is not forcing our life style on others nor overwhelming their resources . Greater success comes from self-involvement in their own destiny. What they contribute toward and do, what they invest themselves in changes their wishes from resistance to empowerment.
- Books, ideas, and pens (especially for girls and women) will bring peace and overcome terrorism and domination. Building schools and libraries in local communities builds communities not warriors and ruffians. When girls are educated, they train and educate their world. The Taliban closed 2400 girls schools in Afghanistan. Boys are still allowed to attend school where the Taliban controls the district.
Many genealogy libraries and libraries with genealogy collections are struggling to make ends meet. For example, the Georgia State Archives is now open Thursday thru Saturday only. If a holiday falls on one of these days, you can do your genealogy research there 1-2 days only! Staff is reduced, so expert assistance is limited anytime.
Hope is on the horizon–and it will take all of us to allow hope to become reality. Many genealogy resources are being pumped into internet access for genealogy documents and ancestral lineages (most often without documentation).
The internet cannot supply the traditions and culture of your own family–the many wikis that have been created, at least so far, supply general knowledge with some specific facts that apply to us all. And if you and your family members are mentioned over 1 million times in documents and books–it will take some time to post it all on the internet without your help!
So I highly recommend that you read Three Cups of Tea too. And then incorporate into your busy time schedule:
- Time to listen. Interview those relatives who are still with us–what do they know.
- Time to become involved in genealogy projects of value to us all. Family Search indexing. Gathering the genealogy of your family and telling your family members, especially the youth about the strength and the foibles of their lineages. Convey what you know and what you are learning to your own family members. And above all, let them participate in choosing the projects as well as completing them.
- Time to spend learning about the world your ancestors inhabited. Remember that the books (or lack of them), the ideas your ancestors were exposed to influenced their decisions in life–just as yours do. Visit your local libraries and encourage your family members to do the same. Libraries won’t be required to shred the books you request and read! And local governments will support and fill the shelves of libraries your tax dollars pay for–if you insist they do!
Your favorite, and very grateful, genealogist Arlene Eakle http://arleneeakle.com
PS Thanksgiving Day 2010 is a good day for a life-changing commitment–you will spend some or all of it with family and loved ones.