"It takes a community (whole village) to raise a child"

You know the thing about living in a Reserve is that it is a community. Community in the sense that everyone belongs to the community. It makes sense that everyone would want the best for the community since everyone thrives from the community. A thriving community means the the people in the community are thriving. The essence of a Reserve was to have a safe place, a permanent home for the people. It is still home for many. Home to come back to even if you are a world away.

We are in an ever changing climate. The home we knew or expect to see is something different. You ever here the phrase "you can never go home again"? It is from a book written by Thomas Wolfe:
The title comes from the finale of the novel when protagonist George Webber realizes, "You can't go back home to your family, back home to your childhood ... back home to a young man's dreams of glory and of fame ... back home to places in the country, back home to the old forms and systems of things which once seemed everlasting but which are changing all the time — back home to the escapes of Time and Memory." Our homes are like that, gone and we can't get it back.

I think our community has changed. Not just the Aboriginal community but the way we live all over the world. There may be a few exceptions, but I am speaking generally about Western society. With our community we have changed quite a bit. So much so that you may not recognize it as a community. We are a community in the sense that we all reside in the same place. But as for it being a community that is not truly there anymore. We are a place of individuals. We no longer act like a whole community. Self interest rules the playground. We are more interested in short term immediate wants. With that way of living the good of the whole community is neglected.

We have become so individualist that the community has no say in our lives. We don't want anyone telling us what to do. That means correcting our behaviours. When we were kids, the whole community could correct our behaviour. It was the way it was. Now if you try to correct a child's actions, you are at risk for some angry parent coming after you. "Who the heck are you to say anything to my kid?" This really comes out with the schools. Teachers are hand-cuffed when dealing with students. Parents are so angry towards Teachers. Everyone is so guarded.

A community is not allowed to raise a child.