"Renew America: Building Sustainable Communities"

NOTE: These remarks were delivered on February 26, 1996 by Mr. John M. Lewis, President, The Bank of Fayetteville, N.A., as the keynote speech of a national symposium.

Block Street Journal

I want to live in a healthy community — a healthy region — a healthy nation. I want to be healthy. I want my neighbor to be healthy. And I want you to be healthy.

I guess the truth, as we perceive it, is that we now are not. Hence this national conference of Renew America. The topic is sustainable community development, and I have been invited to set the context for what is to follow. To put into perspective what I think is the key element of community development and sustain ability ... the keystone is our people.

There are several dimensions of human life. Professional, financial, intellectual, physical, social and spiritual. For us to be healthy as individuals, these elements, these dimensions of our humanness, have to be congruent. There has to be a consistency, an order, a balance to our various dimensions. We want to be healthy enough to understand and respond to reality, to create a harmony within ourselves where we can have peace of mind and live productively within our system. All of these dimensions are intertwined within us, they have to exist in harmony. If they are not, we are not healthy and if we are not then our communities are not healthy, in sync or harmony, and cannot grow and develop in any of the dimensions over a sustained time.

But our society has problems: greed, violence, corruption, abuse, dishonesty and selfishness, none of which are new the human race, but are more magnified today. To attain a peaceful and prosperous society we all desire what should we do?

What do we desire for our people, particularly our children?

If people are these, then they:

In the past we were guided and shaped by the defining institutions: Family, Church, Schools and Government.

These institutions provided the structure, the web of our society. They were the power, and they defined our rights and responsibilities:

These were the methods of attainment of having an orderly and productive society:

The instruments of power are: condign (punishment), compensatory (payment) and conditioned (mental programming).

The sources of power are found in the force of personality, the ownership of property and the power of an organization.

This system or structure, that we inherited does not work as it once did.

These legacy institutions must share power with other new forces.

If we want a humane and prosperous civilization, we must create new forces.

We have, we are and we can (must).

As we raise our children and ourselves we educate them for the new technology and productivity, but more important that they have an understanding of the benefits of our system and the moral values and human context of their lives, so they can cope with the uncertainties of modern life. Community standards can augment the influence of the legacy institutions.

Now let us look where we are in our community.

We were given many gifts: the air we breathe, that is cleansed and purified by blowing over 40 miles of National Forest, our abundant and pure water and our beautiful land. Our ancestors came to this land and left with us a reverence for learning and education, what an incredible inheritance for today's times. And an unusual confluence of factors created the basis of a dynamic economy; the genius of our entrepreneurs, the productivity of our workforce and the intense local competition created nests of industries that are able to compete globally. We also have an economy that is not based on asset conversion but on the intellect, energy and technological talents of our people.

Our area has tremendous energy and creativity.

The world is in the third wave of economic change, from hunters/gatherers, to agriculture, to manufacturing and now the age of the intellect. An age within which we are particularly positioned to prosper.

We need to understand our past, have a sense of the present and a vision of the future. Our future is stored in the phrase "you cannot create what you cannot envision."

I intend to live in a healthy community, where all of our people are healthy. Where there is a harmony, a balance of the dimensions of our lives. When we can act in our own self-interest and know that it is in the community's interest also. When we understand that the spiritual side of humanity sets the standards for our other dimensions.

We cannot address all the incredible changes that the informational age will hold for the human race. Whatever they may be, we can cope if we are healthy.

We will learn that we are connected and that we are connected to the earth, and that events do not happen in isolation and for us to be satisfied and happy, that we must care for the earth and one another. Our corporations will learn that short-term profitability is not the only goal of a modern corporation, and that principle will change too "if we act responsibly we can assure our longevity." That social awareness, community involvement and economic performance are mutually inclusive, not exclusive.

The bank believes that we can only be as good as the community we serve, so we strive to make the community better. It is in our self interest to do everything we can to make our community more healthy. We support organizations, non-profits and volunteers with money, time and energy that will enhance the health of our community. It is in our ultimate self interest. We will take care of ourselves by taking care of our community. This is a long term investment.

Our focus and competence is on the financial dimension, but we assist the development of all of the other dimensions, so we can enjoy all the benefits of operating within a truly healthy community.

I have observed that I, individually, that we, as a community, and that this nation operates best when we are able to give each other gifts. We are in one of the gifts that we gave to one another, the Center for Continuing Education. We have given many others, the University of Arkansas, the Walton Arts Center, the Square, and Dickson Street renovations and the most recent gift the Aladdin project that will connect this community with others in the area and provide us all with a window to the world and a new way to communicate. When we give each other gifts we are satisfying our deep need for spiritual fulfillment. Not spiritual in the sense of religious but soul satisfying, personal spiritual fulfillment. The key to putting the rest of the dimensions of humanity into harmony and congruence. That to elevate the spirit of humans releases energy that is positive and creative.

In a world of uncertainty, lack of control, no predictability and no standards, the sustaining elements of our lives are: Health, and gifts that fulfill our human spirit.

"Our history has not been marked by a succession of building and dates and events, but by the intellect and sensitivity of the people. The real hope for the future is that we will keep pace with modern times and innovations while never losing our warmth, our responsiveness to human values and needs, and the quiet rhythms of our daily life." This powerful, wonderful quote comes from a history of our town. This accurate description speaks directly to our spiritual side.

When we do things with reverence, build things with reverence that we can all hold sacred, treat one another with reverence and respect ... then we can walk the streets with safety and joy. And we will build a truly sustainable community.

 

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