MANA - Spiritual Life Center

Observations from an outsider…..

When you live in a country that pays it’s workers so poorly it is amazing to see the turnout of a church group for a clean up day. Yet another thing in the States that I can see where we take it for granted that when the church has a project there are almost always a donzen and a half volunteers to see that the job gets done. Volunteerizm is simply part of our culture and is something we smile upon and reward. Not so here.

It has been my obseration that the afluence of the country’s appearance and available “things” has indeed gone up, but that the pay has not. It has been said more than once by a Lithuanian friend that,”It is nice that we now have all these new and very nice things available to us but the question I have is,’ who is buying them?’”

To just get by in this country, it seems necessary for a couple to both maintain full time jobs. This brings in the bare living expenses. If you are enginuitive you can create your own business and this is where many have thrived. If you are the average person however you may live with your parents, who will raise the kids, if you have them, while you work and since you are sharing a house you may have some extra money to enjoy life a bit. The children go into full time state run childcare called “Kindergarden” by age 2 where they remain daily as late as 5 or 6 pm until they begin their formal eduction in 1st grade at age 7. After working each day at a job that requires a lot and compensates very little, you go home for a few hours with the kids or the “second shift”. Once you’ve given your kids your time, get the kids fed and put to bed you may fall into bed yourself to start the whole process all over again the next day. The weekend may be the only time you have to relax and that becomes only one day if you have chosen to attend church each week. Which many Lithuanians don’t see as necessary.

So when we announce that we are having clean up days at the community center and ANYONE shows up. I am always amazed that they were willing to sacrifice their precious time for the betterment of those they do not even know yet.

Observations from an outsider…..

Thinking differently…….

Community Centers abound in the States. And because they do sometimes we forget the way they impact the community. Community Centers do not exist in the same way here in Lithuania and neither does the word “community” mean the same thing here as it does in the States.

Front of the Building

Being a foreigner from the States, my family has been well treated and even treated better than locals seem to treat each other. The opposite seems to be true in my experience of the States. IWe seem to have a tendency to treat those we identify with much better then the foreigner who dares to treat upon our soil.

As I speak to the Lithuanians about this issue and my experience, i am surprised to hear that they expect each other to get it together and take care of ones own self and if you can’t, then tough luck for you. The compassion is felt for ones own self and ones own family and maybe even for friends but beyond that it is a “pull yourself up by the bootstraps” mentality. I have heard it said many times, a saying that is said with a sheepish smile,”A lithuanian is most happy when his neighbors’ house is on fire.” And though you can tell it is not really the way they believe you understand that this saying is so common and has been woven into the fabric of the cultural heritage they live in today.

View from the Back

So in my observation “Community” here means; me, my family and a few select friends. The whole idea that we seem to be able to take for grantid in the states is that you can easily go to a place or meeting where you will find acceptance and belonging. Where people will care for you when you are experiencing the ups and downs of life. Where people from all walks of life can come together with similar interests and bond together like family in just a few weeks. For a culture like this one, that doesn’t reach outside it’s family for connections like that, this community center is unheard of, but very much needed because many people don’t have family and friends to turn to and deparately need a community to belong to. Many are seeking……..