Changes

And the [[wonderful]] water drop of [[love]] from grandparents is a smoothing agent to the rough side of children’s [[emotions]] and personalities as they come away from school and come away from homes that are fraught with difficulties and [[contention]] and [[competition]], much of which is neither wanted nor desired by them. So in a way, you have begun to build a [[community]]. You as grandparents, grandparents-to-be are the first elements of an extended family, which is the beginning of clan, which is a beginning of community. Community, of course, involves people who are not "family," but you behave towards them as though they were family, in an open, loving way. (Ironically, in this nation and in many countries, many cultures, family is often times a difficult and non-supportive place in which to be – a relationship to escape.)

And the [[wonderful]] water drop of [[love]] from grandparents is a smoothing agent to the rough side of children’s [[emotions]] and personalities as they come away from school and come away from homes that are fraught with difficulties and [[contention]] and [[competition]], much of which is neither wanted nor desired by them. So in a way, you have begun to build a [[community]]. You as grandparents, grandparents-to-be are the first elements of an extended family, which is the beginning of clan, which is a beginning of community. Community, of course, involves people who are not "family," but you behave towards them as though they were family, in an open, loving way. (Ironically, in this nation and in many countries, many cultures, family is often times a difficult and non-supportive place in which to be – a relationship to escape.)

So in community, new [[things]] happen. You have new, broader associations. What we wish you to do is think upon the [[community]] as a larger family of unrelated [[individuals]], and behave accordingly, as though you were grandparents. Loving, caring, somewhat distant, but connected. Not aloof, ever, but connected. In community, this is where you build the [[process]]es of a larger [[society]]. If the community is positive, helpful and contributory to the growth of individuals and families, then you will have growth of more individuals and families that are positive, constructive and functional. (Of course there are always deviants, and we will discuss that in the future.) Always keep a positive influence in mind, thinking not in terms of "what I can get," or "what I can give without return," as though you must get your personal regard and love from others for doing things. No, that would be enmeshment on your part with a larger group of individuals to pay homage to you and appreciate you and accept you. Give with the assumption, the appreciation that you will be given back…sometime. As you have been taught many times in metaphysical churches and situations, you give sometimes without ever expecting return, for when you give to the universe, it returns to you. That’s how the universe works, it is continuous. It is "the [[flow]]," and some of you call this the Tao. And there definitely is a Tao of community and of society. And when cultures have this flow in them, always individuals giving, then there is always receiving. This is how a larger project in the community is achieved with the help of families and individuals — you volunteer. You may be a volunteer fireman; you may be a volunteer home economics agent, or family development and family operation agent in your community. We know this may sound foreign to you, but your society had these community action efforts during the [[Depression]] Era to assist individuals, and then was phased out for [[economic]] reasons by your [[governments]]. But these aids and supports should exist, must exist, to help pass on those skills that are inherent in operant, functional, contributory, constructive families and communities.

So in community, new [[things]] happen. You have new, broader associations. What we wish you to do is think upon the [[community]] as a larger family of unrelated [[individuals]], and behave accordingly, as though you were grandparents. Loving, caring, somewhat distant, but connected. Not aloof, ever, but connected. In community, this is where you build the [[process]]es of a larger [[society]]. If the community is positive, helpful and contributory to the growth of individuals and families, then you will have growth of more individuals and families that are positive, constructive and functional. (Of course there are always deviants, and we will discuss that in the future.) Always keep a positive influence in mind, thinking not in terms of "what I can get," or "what I can give without return," as though you must get your personal regard and love from others for doing things. No, that would be enmeshment on your part with a larger group of individuals to pay homage to you and appreciate you and accept you. Give with the assumption, the appreciation that you will be given back…sometime. As you have been taught many times in metaphysical churches and situations, you give sometimes without ever expecting return, for when you give to the universe, it returns to you. That’s how the universe works, it is continuous. It is "the [[flow]]," and some of you call this the Tao. And there definitely is a Tao of community and of society. And when cultures have this flow in them, always individuals giving, then there is always receiving. This is how a larger project in the community is achieved with the help of families and individuals — you volunteer. You may be a volunteer fireman; you may be a volunteer home economics agent, or family development and family operation agent in your community. We know this may sound foreign to you, but your society had these community action efforts during the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Depression Depression Era] to assist individuals, and then was phased out for [[economic]] reasons by your [[governments]]. But these aids and supports should exist, must exist, to help pass on those skills that are inherent in operant, functional, contributory, constructive families and communities.

As we look upon your society and culture, and your culture now pervades Europe as well as it is now invading technologically developed Japan, it is in some ways usurping their older, cultural [[traditions]]. There is less and less functionality towards community and self-sustaining operations within the community, those agents for indoctrinating or inculcating traditional beliefs that help communities survive, families prosper, and individuals to grow and progress, are missing. And as advancing nations grow, they go through an era where these are stripped away and there is tremendous competition for economic and financial reasons. Surely, these add to the [[quantity]] of life, but they are very detrimental to the [[quality]] of life. And as I see you and visit you in your families, here and throughout the states, I see you yearning for quality of life. You have quite a stretch to work on, you reach in one way for quantity of life and you reach tentatively in the other for quality of life. You have been sold "a bill of goods," literally, by your economic prosperity in this nation that having "[[things]]" gets you happiness. And if you can’t be happy, you become numb by watching your television sets. So these lessons are to assist you in developing quality of life in all regards, for the [[individual]], for the [[family]], and for your [[community]].

As we look upon your society and culture, and your culture now pervades Europe as well as it is now invading technologically developed Japan, it is in some ways usurping their older, cultural [[traditions]]. There is less and less functionality towards community and self-sustaining operations within the community, those agents for indoctrinating or inculcating traditional beliefs that help communities survive, families prosper, and individuals to grow and progress, are missing. And as advancing nations grow, they go through an era where these are stripped away and there is tremendous competition for economic and financial reasons. Surely, these add to the [[quantity]] of life, but they are very detrimental to the [[quality]] of life. And as I see you and visit you in your families, here and throughout the states, I see you yearning for quality of life. You have quite a stretch to work on, you reach in one way for quantity of life and you reach tentatively in the other for quality of life. You have been sold "a bill of goods," literally, by your economic prosperity in this nation that having "[[things]]" gets you happiness. And if you can’t be happy, you become numb by watching your television sets. So these lessons are to assist you in developing quality of life in all regards, for the [[individual]], for the [[family]], and for your [[community]].

I won’t cut off the time today as I did previously, but allow you some moments to think of and speak some questions, if you have them. And I won’t cut you off—I’ve been chided about that –I will give you some time to think, to cogitate and to devise questions.

I won’t cut off the time today as I did previously, but allow you some moments to think of and speak some questions, if you have them. And I won’t cut you off—I’ve been chided about that –I will give you some time to think, to cogitate and to devise questions.

===Dialogue===

===Dialogue===

Student: So historic preservation is out, and people preservation is in!

Student: So historic preservation is out, and people preservation is in!