i do not know
a hundred ways
a thousand ways
but
how do you kill community?
I can tell you one
sure to do the job.
be self-sufficient.
always have enough
always have it together
always be a giver
always have all the tools you need
never need to borrow a sewing needle
never need a cup of sugar
never tell anyone you're breaking down
never need anyone
your pride
your insistence on competency
your unwillingness to be a burden
on us
when it is the proper time for you to collapse
may be the end of us all
knowing what time it truly is
or knowing how to know the time at all
you
needing our help
being unable to continue without it
you
not knowing
how to do everything
creates the occasion
for the village to reconstitute itself
and know itself again
--From Tad Hargrave