The Abundant Community

There is a growing movement of people with a different vision for their local communities. They know that real satisfaction and the good life are not provided by organizations, institutions, or systems. No number of great CEO’s, central offices, or long range plans produce what a community can produce. People are discovering a new possibility for their lives. They have a calling. They are called. And together they call upon themselves.

This possibility is idealistic, and yet it is an ideal within our grasp. It is a possibility that is both idealistic and realistic. Our culture leads us to believe that a satisfying life can be purchased. It tells us that in the place where we live, we don't have the resources to create a good life. This book reminds us that a neighborhood that can raise a child, provide security, sustain our health, secure our income, and care for our vulnerable people is within the power of our community.

The Abundant Community: Awakening the Power of Families and Neighborhoods gives voice to our ideal of a beloved community. It reminds us of our power to create a hope filled life. It assures us that when we join together with our neighbors we are the architects of the future where we want to live.

John McKnight is emeritus professor of education and social policy and codirector of the Asset-Based Community Development Institute at Northwestern University. He is the coauthor of Building Communities from the Inside Out and the author of The Careless Society. He has been a community organizer and serves on the boards of several national organizations that support neighborhood development.
Peter Block isa partner in Designed Learning, a training company that offers workshops designed by Block to build the skills outlined in his books. He is the author of Flawless Consulting, Stewardship, The Answer to How Is Yes, and Community. He is the recipient of numerous awards, most recently the Organization Development Network's 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award.

Welcome	p. xiii
Introduction	p. 1
The Elements of Satisfaction	p. 2
The Universal Properties	p. 40
The Shift from Citizen to Consumer	p. 7
The Limits of Consumption	p. 9
The Consumer Way: Lives of Scarcity and Consumption	p. 11
The Citizen Way: Lives of Abundance and cooperation	p. 14
A Choice of Culture	p. 15
Neighborhood Necessities	p. 18
Community Possibilities	p. 25
What Did We Lose and Where Did It Go?	p. 26
The Origin of Dissatisfaction	p. 27
The Growth of Systems and Their Managers	p. 29
Outsourcing Care to Professionals	p. 36
Seduction by the Promise of Satisfaction	p. 42
The Effects of Living in a Consumer World	p. 46
Living by the Rules	p. 47
The Cost to Society	p. 49
The Cost to Neighborhoods	p. 54
The Wired Life	p. 57
The Heart of the Matter	p. 62
Choosing a Satisfied Life	p. 63
The Abundant Community	p. 65
The Structure of Abundance	p. 65
Gift-Mindeness	p. 70
Associational Life	p. 71
Hospitality	p. 78
The Invisible Structures of Community	p. 81
Community Abundance in Action	p. 83
The Capacities of an Abundance Community	p. 83
The Culture of Abundance	p. 91
The Citizen Economy	p. 96
Policies That Support Abundant Community	p. 99
Democracy and the Abundant Community	p. 109
Creating Abundance	p. 113
Awakening the Power of Families and Neighborhoods	p. 115
Competence within Reach	p. 115
Community Abundance Is Its Gifts	p. 119
Connected Gifts Create Associations	p. 123
The Power of Connectors	p. 132
The Vital Role of Connectors	p. 132
A Table for Connectors	p. 134
Welcoming Strangers	p. 137
Finding Our Own Way	p. 140
The Story of an Abundant Community	p. 145
Notes	p. 149
Resources	p. 153
Pioneers: People Who Are Creating Abundant Communities	p. 153
Website	p. 159
References	p. 159
Acknowledgments	p. 163
Index	p. 165
About the Authors	p. 171
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

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The Abundant Community

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials