Guiding Principles
CHANGE IS DIFFICULT
1. We become accustomed to our surroundings and want them to never change. But change is a reality of life. And as individuals and as a group we need to deal with it in a positive way.
EMBRACE POSITIVE CHANGE
2. We imagine there are three possible responses to change. First option is to flee! Move away to a place that seems more like the "moment" in time that you are trying to capture. The second option is - to complain and gripe and rant and become the "old cranky guy/lady up the block, that you and your friends used to laugh about and tease". And the third option is to embrace the change - find what is good about it and take possession of that. And take the things that are not good about it and try to "fix" them in a rationale way.
ALL PEOPLE HAVE VALUE
3. The sacred writings of most religions say this, philosphers all say this and yet too often we "measure" people. Our guiding principle is that not all people have the same skills or talents. Some are geniuses in some regards and blooming idiots in others. But ultimately, given time and the right situation we find that everyone has value. We embrace that and will try to never measure one person against another but instead welcome them, as they increase our worth as a people, by including them and their talent.
WHAT IS FAMILY?
4. What is family? Some family members do not share common blood (like a son-in-law). Some family members do not speak the same language (like a relative from the "old" country). Some we don't like (like the sister you haven't talked to in 20 years). But a fairly good definition of family is shared memories. And we in Sunset Park share many memories - like our favorite pizzeria, or watching in horror the Towers on 9/11 from the park, or happy moments of love, sports or walks in the park. We are family - those who have lived here and collected and stored memories - both the good & the bad memories.
SUNSET PARK IS DIFFERENT
5. We are different than most neighborhoods, maybe different than any neighborhood. Many neighborhoods have a history of immigration, some cities are known because of their location at "crossroads" that bring people of many cultures to them. But Sunset Park is different. We continually add to our family with people from successive corners of the world. And we live together - not nearby, but together. We share the sidewalks, the park, the playgrounds, the schools and the stores. At first some of us stayed within our "culture" buying only from certain stores, but with time, we join and share. And eventually we intermarry - much to the consternation of our older relatives.
PEOPLE ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAT THINGS
6. While we love the historic buildings of our community, and our park and the waterfront, we never lose sight that these are temporal things. They will change, what is important to us is the memories of our friends and experiences with them in Sunset Park. These are the important things - always people, not things.
THE SUNSET PARK EXPERIENCE
7. The Sunset Park experience is one of understanding that your culture is not the only culture. It is understanding that the word "friend" can bridge any language as we play sports together or go to school together or just sit on a stoop together. We don't just tolerate differences, we embrace them
UNACCEPTABLE FACEBOOK BEHAVIOR
It is unacceptable to make racially/ethnically provocative posts. It is unacceptable to make generalizations about a racial or ethnic group. Similarly insulting remarks towards inviduals is unacceptable. Posts should be made in a proactive manner attempting to inform others. No posts should be made with the intention of wasting the time of others or frustrating others. In an all-volunteer organization we are all responsible to help maximize the effort of each other. The "price" of membership is good manners.