Have You Heard The Stories of The New Jubilee?

Have you heard the stories of The New Jubilee?

You'll want to hear these inspiring stories and I want to tell them! But first: "What is a Jubilee?"

And second: "Why new?"

The word 'jubilee' represents an idea that goes back thousands of years. The Hebrew Bible speaks of something called the Jubilee Year, which was to be observed every 50 years. In this Jubilee year you must forgive all debts, you must free the slaves and you must return land to the original owners who lost it due to a foreclosure type event. Also, you are to show respect for the health of the soil.

In other words, change things so the wealth will flow back to the ordinary person instead of toward those who already have the upper hand. Do a reset. Give people a chance to start over. Lift the heavy burdens from the backs of the poor and from those who will become poor if the current course of events is allowed to continue.

Be especially attentive to your soil.

Here's why we need something new today:

We live in a world where the forces of centralization and globalization have been stripping resources and power away from people in local communities for decades now.

Multi-national corporations own or control vast amounts of material wealth; more than many nations. They are gobbling up ever increasing political clout. The gap between rich and poor is growing wider by the minute.

This is an oppressive trend which impoverishes the common citizen, the local community and the natural environment. It makes mockery of the ideal we call democracy.

Here's an admittedly simplified but accurate example of what's been happening:

Not too long ago each community had it's local bank. The banker knew the people and, in fact, was one of the people. This banker's role was to serve the local economy. This banker had a clear stake in the vitality and prosperity of the community.

Resources were primarily invested locally rather than directed away.

The good of the community was seen as a higher value than the current practice of maximizing profits for the stockholders and CEOs.

Then something happened. Banks were deregulated. Deregulation became a kind of backwards jubilee. Banks were released to grow beyond their communities and even beyond their states.

Banks were also set free to consolidate with other banks. This consolidation process resulted in very large banks with headquarters far away. The interests of these ever growing banks were totally in their own bottom line not in the welfare of local communities.

Have you heard "Too big to fail"? Have you heard"Massive bailouts"? How about pensions of people who worked for decades being depleted right before their expected retirement? Foreclosures? Unemployment? Wage freezes for those still working while CEO's salaries go to the moon? A younger generation with little realistic hope of ever retiring?

Sickening,isn't it?

THE REST OF THE STORY!

But we are not powerless! Many everyday people are now taking positive steps to create something healthy. Theirs are the stories of The New Jubilee.

The New Jubilee, as I'm defining it, is exactly the reversal of direction we need. Under this idea of The New Jubilee, resources stay in local communities and people's energies are invested in serving one another rather than serving some absentee banker or corporate conglomerate.

This movement is also known to many as 'relocalization' and to others as 'Transition Towns".

It involves rebuilding the local food system, caring for our soil and water, supporting and investing in local businesses, people moving their money OUT of absentee owned financial institutions into local credit unions or in support of New Jubilee businesses, and learning what it means to live sustainably in place.

Yes it's a New Jubilee!

This movement is picking up speed in localities around the world! In this blog , 123 Jubilee, I want to tell the stories of one of those places where the movement is building:Lancaster, PA. I will celebrate the persons who are moving into the Jubilee spirit of relocalization.

These are the heroes who are rebuilding the local food system,restoring local control, strengthening community connections, starting sustainable businesses,teaching and learning needed skills, reclaiming democracy and leading the way in a time of monumental transition.

This path is not without bumps along the way, of course.Massive changes are unfolding rapidly in our world brought on by climate change, the end of cheap oil, economic instability and the global population explosion!

But the communities which are now moving with the New Jubilee spirit, those which are relocalizing and transitioning with focused intention, will demonstrate the greatest resiliency in the face of all these challenges.

Plus, they are increasingly experiencing the joys of living with purpose, of building satisfying relationships, of creatively meeting life's challenges and of bringing goodness and beauty into their worlds.

Isn't that what we all want?

for more info on Transition Lancaster and on Relocalization, see these sites:

http://transitionlancaster.pbworks.com/w/page/22427014/FrontPage

http://www.appropedia.org/Relocalization