The Purpose of a Coherent Community

The Purpose of a Coherent Community

In the article, “The Purpose of a Coherent Community” by Wendell Berry, the author is conveying that in order to improve our current environment, we as a whole community including the people, working forests, wilderness preserves and the economic landscapes of farms, must join together to resolve shared current dilemmas. For example, the investors, bankers, farmers, builders etc. have to come up with ideas on how they can all assist each other and work together to improve today’s economy. Is it possible for our society to all join as one to meet a shared goal?

The author argues that much collaboration must be done and states that society has been built under the, “assumption that we can safely deal with parts, leaving the whole to take care of itself. But now the news from everywhere is that we have to begin gathering up the scattered pieces, figuring out where they belong, and putting them back together” (77). I believe the author is expressing that if the local community does not rebuild together everything will collapse.

Another key point that the author states is, “Who is polluting the river? Well among others, we are, we members of Save the River, who flush our toilets and use the latest toxic products only a little less thoughtlessly than everybody else” (75). This statement is contradicting the fact that even though we are picketing to save the river we are still polluting our river. This reminds me of consumers who purchase new electronics, such as cell phones, every six months just because there is a good sale, but feel they are helping the environment because they “recycle” their old phones. All of the waste of old electronics are polluting our environment. It also makes me think of the San Francisco law in which people must purchase ten cents for a paper bag in San Francisco if they do not bring their own. Even though San Francisco is about being green and ecofriendly, you still have the option to not...