While googling something completely different, I came upon a website that made my jaw drop.

New River Zen Community. Yes! Southwest Virginia does offer alternatives! See? Yes, you might see giant neon crosses as you head south on I-81, but don’t dare think that’s the whole story. Yes indeedy weedy we’ve got diversity in Virginia’s Great Southwest. And I do believe, I pray with all my heart, that everyone will see that as an asset.

In Richard Florida’s book The Rise of the Creative Class he makes the point that diversity is what invigorates the sustainability of a community. (http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2001/0205.florida.html).

The more tolerant, open, and welcoming the region is, the more we will grow and invite a younger generation back. There are some other signs that it can happen and perhaps has been happening. The Blue Ridge School of Massage (http://www.blueridgemassage.org/) has been in operation in Montgomery County (http://www.montva.com/) for several years. Now, alternative living and health choices aren’t the only thing that makes up diversity. Personally, I feel that cultivating diversity means cultivating a tolerance for other lifestyles, cultures, philosophies. I hope beyond hope that is the direction our beautiful region is moving in. Then I think we truly will be able to call this God’s country, since God loves everyone. . . no exceptions.

-Lucinda McDermott Piro

This entry was posted on Friday, June 13th, 2008 at 10:14 am and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.