I met Bill Sharp for the first time at the SoL quarterly meeting last weekend. I had read some of Bill’s writing about education and community in the Green Revolution and in his blogs (see links below.) During our meeting, I listened to Bill speak, from experience; of the loss of the life, heart, and function of true community…a community that no longer exists. I recognized an emotional clarity and grounded commitment in Bill that is not common. His passion is in working to develop a life-long learning institute to support self-reliant and sustainable communities as described in the work of Ralph Borsodi, the founder of School of Living.
Bill was able to convey his intent, convincingly, to request and receive financial support from School of Living and its members. He will be researching the work and ideas of Ralph Borsodi more deeply. This fall, he will be traveling to the University of New Hampshire where archives of Borsodi’s writings are held to study and process that work. Bill will, then, be better able to teach and present the ideas that are important to him, to the School of Living, and to the people that share his vision of community; and to further develop what he calls the “New School of Living.”
I’ll not attempt to summarize Bill’s ideas and work. It is fortunate that Bill is a leader and a writer. I recommend that you read through his work, ask questions, contribute, and become involved. If you feel, particularly, moved by the importance of this work; please, donate to School of Living towards Bill’s project. If resources are sufficient, he can begin planning a visit to Chicago to do similar research with a focus on Mildred Loomis. We look forward to hearing of his progress!
Links:The members of School of Living are unique individuals. I want to highlight the members of SoL; their lives, work, and ideas in this blog category, “SoL People.” With this small connection, readers may be inspired to explore and to build their knowledge and skills. As values and ideals align, they may be moved to support or participate in the work of SoL and its members and communities. Though I recognize that I’ll not be able to share all that I wish about every member that I have the good fortune to know; I hope the reader can get a little sense of the heart and hands behind the scene. (Author: Michaelann Velicky/StellaLou Farm/School of Living)