Challenge to Change

I spent the day in the Appalachian area known as The Overhill, attending meetings for how to protect and honor the heritage of the people that made this poor mountainous rural area come together as separate functional communities.

I see so many similarities to the problems that many correspondents are reporting in their countries to the problems that have been successfully addressed in many of these communities. The changes are incremental, and often take several generations to completely catch on. The old order is often threatened by new innovations and information.

The important thing is to define the basic values by which a community wants to live and look always to how the possible solutions fit into the vision for the future. As long as the past is understood and honored, the changes are achievable with a strong vision, a clear plan, and talented, committed people.