THE CONDO "MEME"...a list of 10!

Have you ever heard of a "meme"? We are using the word more and more in today's web culture to describe lists of qualities or connected ideas. The web describes the theory in the following way:

As defined by Richard Dawkins in The Selfish Gene (1976): "a unit of cultural transmission, or a unit of imitation." "Examples of memes are tunes, ideas, catch-phrases, clothes fashions, ways of making pots or of building arches. Just as genes propagate themselves in the gene pool by leaping from body to body via sperms or eggs, so memes propagate themselves in the meme pool by leaping from brain to brain via a process which, in the broad sense, can be called imitation.



It all sounds very high flown and difficult to comprehend but if you get email, you have received a meme of one kind or another in some form. When someone sends you an email that wants you to list 10 things about yourself, that is a meme. Generally there is a pattern that you follow. My favorite inspiration for a meme was an online article listing the 10 things you should know and was aimed at educators. The "10 Things Everyone should know" was written by Stephen Downs sometime in March or April and, since we are all life long learners, should apply even to those of us that are adults and or are approaching elderly status!

The list goes like this (click the link above to read the explanation for each of these):

1-How to predict consequences
2-How to read
3-How to distinguish truth from fiction.
4-How to empathize
5-How to be creative
6-How to communicate clearly
7-How to learn
8-How to stay healthy
9-How to value yourself
10-How to live meaningfully

In our lives as adults, we live a community that is closely connected by architecture and relationships. We are continually dealing with neighborhood issues and finding resolution to problems around us. For us the "meme" should follow a pattern of questions that deal with introspection and understanding. Taking the 10 learning steps above and then applying them to our lives might be an interest concept and lead to a deeper understanding of what and how we all think/feel.

The ten questions might be:

1-When you add to your property how do you think your association officer with view it?
2-What did the recent letter from you association really mean? (Was it information, direction, or opinion?)
3-Were the facts correct; did you find after research (not opinion) that what you were asked to do was legal and congruent with the CC&Rs?
4-Do you feel empathy for those who volunteer to be a board member and why?
5-What do you do to be creative on your property and is it okay?
6-Can you communicate your feelings clearly (without anger)?
7-How can you go about learning in relationship to condo or community CC&Rs? (online, reading the rules, visiting with association leadership?)
8- How do we maintain a healthy and responsive relationship to the community?
9-Do you value your own opinions enough to set them forth in a logical manner?
10-How do you become a meaningful and responsible part of the neighborhood?

Now, this list above a true "meme" in that we have taken a list of ideas, imitated the line of reasoning and made it fit our situation.

That is a "meme".

Have a great day.

We would love to have a comment/opinion from you.