When Will The Vacant Lot Be Developed?

When I saw the rubble with the provocative question, "What happens when edifices of network TV are rubble and the vacant lot has yet to be developed?" I wondered if the same is true of lots of social conventions, like consumerism and hedonism. Both of them are valuable and have their strengths - but they do seem to be crumbling in their anecdotal strength with reports of a decline in shopping and doubts about the health impacts of binge drinking.

A number of social commentators lament the impact of marriage or relationship breakdown, particularly where children are involved. It seems as if we have crumbling edifices but lots of vacant lots waiting to be developed because we don't know what should take their place. What do we want? What do people need? Are these the same question?

I've been thinking about this because it's Carers' Week and although I've had a good response to the workshops that I've run, I've met a lot of carers who are angry about what has happened to their lives and the lack of support they receive. Some of the carers I met say that they feel like anachronisms. They are abiding by their understanding of family responsibility and loyalty and almost literally being beggared for it while being treated with what feels like contempt by many of the statutory agencies. SOme of them feel that they have traded in their desire for security and a fulfilling career for present discomfort, financial insecurity and worry about their own futures. Yet, what would happen to our social and healthcare systems if carers disowned their sense of obligation and responsibility (a question that I've asked before when wondering what is the cost of doing nothing?)?

I've also been reading some posts by Flea and Shinga on the topic of parents and the impact that their chaotic lives can have on their children's health. Without writing a jeremiad, it does seem like we have dismantled a number of social structures (like family support) but the social policies and informal networks that should take their place are just not adequate to the task - the edifices have crumbled but we haven't developed the vacant lots. Are the plans in place, when will the vacant lot be developed?

Copyright 2006, Tony Plant Happystance Project