It is the “sand,” however, that makes the community truly come alive. The sand is to be found in the daily interactions among members of the community: the gatherings in local restaurants, the art and craft fairs, the weekly farmers market, the local concerts. We suggest that civic engagement and volunteer services of all kinds can be found operating at all three levels in a community — and that the “sandy” forms of generativity service are just as important as the rock and pebble roles of Generativity Four that are engaged through formally organized volunteer services and leadership in nonprofit organizations.
It is through the interplay of community rocks, pebbles and sand that generativity is likely to flourish. The institutional rocks must provide the resources and stability to ensure that there is legitimate generative hope for the future in this community. In the case of Kalamazoo Michigan, this building of hope was critical, for like many American cities in the “rust belt” the economy was rapidly deteriorating. Few jobs were available. As a community banker, Kitchens had to provide smart and timely financial support that would aid the recovery. The pebble institutions are also critical. People must be fed and cared for, and the citizenry must be educated about the complex challenges that the community faces–otherwise, civic engagement and Generativity Four will be short-lived, misplaced and misunderstood. The sandy generativity fills in the community’s gaps, providing the glue that holds it together even during times of hardship and insecurity about the future. The generative society, then, would seem to be a bowl filled with Kitchen’s rocks, pebbles and sand.
As we conclude our brief exploration of Generativity Four as it is enhanced in a generative society, we note that the distinction between Generativity Three and Four is often not clearly drawn; both involve civic engagement. Both are motivated by a desire to extend values and benefits to the next generation: “Clearly, many of the activities that are labeled as volunteer work fit these definitions of generativity. Many of the activities of volunteers cross generational lines. . . .As such, the activities of volunteers may contribute to continuity and linkages across generations.” (Snyder and Clary, 2004, p. 223)
The distinction we draw between Generativity Three and Generativity Four concerns the primary focus of each: Generativity Three centers on expanding the time dimension, while Generativity Four centers on expanding the space dimension. We provide caring linkages across generations by bringing the past into the present so that it can be available to the next (Generativity Three); and we expand our care to other people and to the next generation by engaging in activities that improve community services (Generativity Four). The extension of care in time and space best operates in a generative society — otherwise the extension is hard to achieve and often short lived. Monuments will crumble, stories are no longer told, the poor are no longer served, children are ignored, and humans live in isolating silos.
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