The quality and strength of the  nurturance communities a culture builds and sustains around the health of it’s future generations is the predictor of that culture’s future, if there is to be a future.  Our culture is in trouble because the data tells us our children are in trouble. Too many of our children are presently suffering in their fast moving developmental stages.  

This is where I could bury you and lose you in the mountain of data that already exists supporting this posting,  but in our hearts as well as minds I think we already know too many of our children, youth, and not to forget adults, are failing to thrive. I would guess far more than a majority of Americans know this problem exists which begs the questions of this past election and its results.  It seems apparent we are drowning in denial. When the defense system and law enforcement become both the first priority and the last consensus of  our culture, our future is in trouble.  For example, one of a plethora of symptoms of deep trouble is the matter of drug abuse and addiction. The flow of drugs into our country is made possible by the billions of dollars flowing out out of our culture and into the hands international suppliers for those drugs.  We attack the supply side because we want to forget or deny our role on the demand side. What is less obvious is those billions come out of individual pockets a few dollars at a time from people whose personal and family needs have been trumped by the overwhelming pain of living in this broken culture telling broken stories.  Imagine what a difference it would make if no one in America needed to numb themselves to death.  

So what is this Nurturance Community so essential to a corrected course and healthy future for our nation.  First and foremost early childhood nurturance is a species embedded need and not an option.  Most of our Grandmothers knew or know that already. The sustaining of  Nurturance Community is not a genuine choice because the decision not to concern oneself with this embedded priority is straight forward national cultural suicide.  The next posting will talk about the bonded relationship of nurturance community, what it seems to look like and what it requires.  We will describe the good community that could lay the neurological ground work for good and healthy decisions leading into a promising future for children, adults and yes, even elders.

Here is another example of really good work being done on a local scale in Los Angeles these troubled days (Click to read).