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Health & Fitness

Transitioning into the Future with Transition Saint Clair Shores

Do you ever feel like individuals and communities have lost control of their destinies? How can we reclaim out autonomy and create the kind of community that everyone wants?

Do you ever wonder about what the future holds for our community?

How can we plan for an uncertain future?

Our world is changing at an ever accelerating rate. Gas prices are slowly and steadily rising with no end in sight. Our economy based on shipping goods back and forth thousands of miles around the globe isn't delivering an ever rising standard of living for the people around us. Do you ever feel like individuals and communities have lost control of their destinies? Have we become beholden to the actions of far off institutions and distant CEOs?

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In a book review of Bowling Alone by Robert Putnam, I recently blogged about the collapse of American community since the 1960s. Statistically, people have tended to be less and less engaged in community organizations, politics, and in their neighborhoods. Bowling Alone recounted the history of social change in our country and that this kind of grassroots community involvement has always been a precondition for bringing about a future that people desire in our nation.

I started Transition Saint Clair Shores in the Fall of 2009. SInce then, our citizen based, volunteer driven organization has been working to build community and empower people though raising awareness. I grew up in Saint Clair Shores and now I own a home in Saint Clair Shores. I am deeply connected to this community. I am only 27 years old and I could have quite a few years of life ahead of me if I'm lucky. I look into the future, and I see a lot of uncertainty in the world, but when I look at our community, I feel like I can see a vision of a positive, local future that might even be better than the present despite the uncertainty in our future.

Find out what's happening in St. Clair Shoreswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The Transition Movement is about envisioning a more resilient future for our community. What is resilience? Resilience is having a thriving local business network when global supply chains fail us. Resilience is investing time and effort into relationships with your neighbors and people in the community that can pay off in unforeseable ways. Resilience is knowing how to grow food, how to fix things, and how to make due when times are tough. The more resilient each of us is as individuals and as a community, the better we will fare no matter what the future holds for us. Furthermore, building a more resilient community can be a great deal of fun!

Getting to know and appreciate the people around you, developing practical skills, and living locally are all deeply satisfying human activities. Numerous studies have shown that Americans haven't gotten any happier on average since the 1950s. As a society we have withdrawn from community, worked longer hours, made more money, bought more things, commuted farther and yet haven't made a lot of progress when it comes to chasing down happiness. Perhaps its time that we take a step back and remember the things that have always mattered most in creating a happy life, namely being connected to the people around us through trust and reciprocity.

This is an open invitation to get involved with Transition Saint Clair Shores. Coming together as a community is the first step, and if we take that step, a much more fulfilling and secure future just might be possible. Wouldn't it be nice to have the security of community behind you? That's how people got through the Great Depression and many other tough times in American history. If we invest in and have faith in one another we can pull together and support one another, creating a strong community that can weather any storm. In my opinion, this is the best way to plan for an uncertain future. Sure you can save up a lot of money in a bank account, but it'll run out eventually. Sure you can store up food in your basement, but what about when it runs out? You can spend all of your time alone worrying about the future and all the uncertainty thats possible, or you can invest in community, feel connected to others, relax a little and have a great time doing it.

Please take a look at our website transitionscs.weebly.com, all upcoming events are posted there.

Our next meeting is on Thursday March 14th, 2013 at 6:30pm in Studio B at Lakeshore YMCA on Jefferson south of 9 Mile.

We will be showing the movie In Transition 2.0, a film about the transition movement and how it is connecting communities and building resilience in local areas all over the world. I am really excited for what the Transition Movement could mean for Saint Clair Shores. Our community already has so much going for it, but it could become much more connected and much more resilient. Please consider joining Transition Saint Clair Shores in envisioning and creating a more resilient future. For further information please contact me at 586-871-2587.

Thank you.

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