July 2021 Newsletter – The Importance of Community-Minded Thinking

July 2021 Newsletter – The Importance of Community-Minded Thinking

I’m excited about my new summer read, x + y: A Mathematician’s Manifesto for Rethinking Gender by Dr. Eugenia Cheng. At first, it was because I’m a mathematician at heart and by education, and it seemed like a nice scholarly escape from the escalating climate and virus catastrophes eating away at my hopefulness from earlier in the summer.

I have only read the preface so far, and I’m now excited about the possibility of it being much more than a rejuvenating escape.  

Dr. Cheng writes that she is starting this book in the beginning of the global pandemic and has no idea what the world will be like when the book reaches our hands. She goes on to say, “…one thing that this worldwide crisis has grimly illuminated is a sharp opposition between those who think as individuals and those who think as a community. We see individuals deciding how much risk of infection they are going to take, as if this decision is their own private one, affecting them alone.”

The author believes that we need “individuals acting on behalf of the community, to reduce the risk to the community and protect our collective health. This contrast between individualistic thinking and community-minded thinking is the major theme throughout this book.”

 This calls to me in such a fundamental way and community-minded thinking is exactly the way MaineShare member groups approach the biggest issues of our day.

In this month’s newsletter, we share some great opportunities to get outside and support some wonderful community-minded organizations who are combining education, conservation, and supports for better living to help us all create a better normal. Read more.