Harambee Joyce! I adored this story about the history of Harambee from @Edwin Kiptoo Ngetich. :) Thank you for interviewing him and sharing it with us.
Sep 20, 2023·edited Sep 20, 2023Liked by Joyce Wycoff
I loved Edwin's post and that you shared it, and that you learned lessons from his generosity. This generosity shines all through his words and works; and something else I find refreshing and so lacking in the western cultures - and open mind as well as an open heart. Edwin is grateful for new perspectives. Reading his substack not only helps me to understand a little bit about Africa, its history and its people, but also about how open he is, and people there still are. There is still a wholesome innocence and love and profound respect and connection with the land and Nature - even when it is harsh. Many in the USA and the west have lost this because we have lost our connection with the natural world, our hearts, and each other. Our families are fragmented and our culture is lost. This allows greed and grift by the ultra-wealthy to prey on vulnerable people and grab more and more wealth and resources. It's great to want to be grateful and it is also helpful to learn how we got here to this place of so much unhappiness in the richest countries in the world - because once we see how we got here to be frogs boiling in the pot, we can jump out before the pot boils.
I'm learning that happiness and gratitude is not abstract. It's so simple - it's in presence and attention - connection is noticing the small details of life all around us - the miraculous in the ordinary occurrences all around us all the time. I feel that those of us who are older and live alone (and some of us with no family left) have the greatest challenge not to withdraw into being hermits. The healthiest families and cultures I see are intergenerational and deeply connected. My concern is technocratic globalist takeover of sovereign nations and individuals. It is only the individual who CAN change himself or herself. We must be allowed the freedom to make mistakes and learn from them. Shoulds, oughts, and mandates from without will never get us to where Edwin is, and where Harambe lives.
I really enjoyed this. First Edwin's explanation of how rural Kenyan's build and benefit from harambee, and then your own realisation that he was offering you more than a guest post. A really lovely piece, Joyce. Thank you for sharing.
The phrase literally translates into no barbers shave themselves, but it symbolizes our deeply-held conviction of our being a group, both emotionally and economically.
I love "no barbers shave themselves" as a comment on the individualism culture ingrained in the United States. It was a part of the pioneer can-do spirit, and it holds us back from seeing all of us as one in the US, probably now more than ever.
I know it sounds like a banal comment, but this particular response of yours was, and is, the genesis of what we all deeply seek: “I had no expectations when I responded ‘sure.’”
What a beautiful gift you have been given, Joyce. Harambee....not necessarily an earth shattering uprising of generosity....maybe just a smile and a brief chat with a new neighbor. I'm happy for you. 💚
Sep 16, 2023·edited Sep 16, 2023Liked by Joyce Wycoff
Harambee certainly appears to be a way of life. There is a communal component to that which I'm gathering is quite strong. But every Kenyan makes choices either honoring that tradition or rejecting it. In the United States as Joyce suggested, caring is not always a top priority. It is ashamedly taking a back seat to self-centered agendas and arrogance.
We have so much to learn from the manner in which other groups treat each other. The people immersed in Harambee should NOT be considered foreigners or "Them." More accurately I believe they should be considered a more civilized part of a larger US
Thank you so much Joyce for your invitation and gracious welcome to your space. This day, the day that you posted this guest post, coincided with a harambee that we had in remembrance for our departed father. We visitors -villagers, relatives, and friends - who came to care and communion with us. Alongside, we had St. Dominic Parish led by the Holy Catholic Father since my father was among the baptised elders. And how can I forget Joyce Wycoff and the community members here -you were virtually present with us by reading this newsletter. We now have our own harambee here where we only need to care. The journey starts.....
Harambee Joyce! I adored this story about the history of Harambee from @Edwin Kiptoo Ngetich. :) Thank you for interviewing him and sharing it with us.
I loved Edwin's post and that you shared it, and that you learned lessons from his generosity. This generosity shines all through his words and works; and something else I find refreshing and so lacking in the western cultures - and open mind as well as an open heart. Edwin is grateful for new perspectives. Reading his substack not only helps me to understand a little bit about Africa, its history and its people, but also about how open he is, and people there still are. There is still a wholesome innocence and love and profound respect and connection with the land and Nature - even when it is harsh. Many in the USA and the west have lost this because we have lost our connection with the natural world, our hearts, and each other. Our families are fragmented and our culture is lost. This allows greed and grift by the ultra-wealthy to prey on vulnerable people and grab more and more wealth and resources. It's great to want to be grateful and it is also helpful to learn how we got here to this place of so much unhappiness in the richest countries in the world - because once we see how we got here to be frogs boiling in the pot, we can jump out before the pot boils.
I'm learning that happiness and gratitude is not abstract. It's so simple - it's in presence and attention - connection is noticing the small details of life all around us - the miraculous in the ordinary occurrences all around us all the time. I feel that those of us who are older and live alone (and some of us with no family left) have the greatest challenge not to withdraw into being hermits. The healthiest families and cultures I see are intergenerational and deeply connected. My concern is technocratic globalist takeover of sovereign nations and individuals. It is only the individual who CAN change himself or herself. We must be allowed the freedom to make mistakes and learn from them. Shoulds, oughts, and mandates from without will never get us to where Edwin is, and where Harambe lives.
I really enjoyed this. First Edwin's explanation of how rural Kenyan's build and benefit from harambee, and then your own realisation that he was offering you more than a guest post. A really lovely piece, Joyce. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you, Joyce, for sharing this gift with the rest of us.
The phrase literally translates into no barbers shave themselves, but it symbolizes our deeply-held conviction of our being a group, both emotionally and economically.
I love "no barbers shave themselves" as a comment on the individualism culture ingrained in the United States. It was a part of the pioneer can-do spirit, and it holds us back from seeing all of us as one in the US, probably now more than ever.
I really love reading about how you yourself were changed by the experience of working with this guest post. <3
I know it sounds like a banal comment, but this particular response of yours was, and is, the genesis of what we all deeply seek: “I had no expectations when I responded ‘sure.’”
Thanks, Heather ... I think Edwin wrote it for all of us.
What a beautiful gift you have been given, Joyce. Harambee....not necessarily an earth shattering uprising of generosity....maybe just a smile and a brief chat with a new neighbor. I'm happy for you. 💚
Interesting, I knew nothing about harambee and now I know a little, caring doesn't come naturally for some which is a shame.
Harambee certainly appears to be a way of life. There is a communal component to that which I'm gathering is quite strong. But every Kenyan makes choices either honoring that tradition or rejecting it. In the United States as Joyce suggested, caring is not always a top priority. It is ashamedly taking a back seat to self-centered agendas and arrogance.
We have so much to learn from the manner in which other groups treat each other. The people immersed in Harambee should NOT be considered foreigners or "Them." More accurately I believe they should be considered a more civilized part of a larger US
Edwin! Joyce!
Way to go, you two!
I agree completely that Substack has the zeitgeist right now: it's an excellent place to build harambee. I think we are doing it.
Thank you so much Joyce for your invitation and gracious welcome to your space. This day, the day that you posted this guest post, coincided with a harambee that we had in remembrance for our departed father. We visitors -villagers, relatives, and friends - who came to care and communion with us. Alongside, we had St. Dominic Parish led by the Holy Catholic Father since my father was among the baptised elders. And how can I forget Joyce Wycoff and the community members here -you were virtually present with us by reading this newsletter. We now have our own harambee here where we only need to care. The journey starts.....
Would like Eve to guest post, I just made mojo Potatoes while practicing gratitude 🫶
you only need to care. 🫶
This I good. 🫶