Wendell Berry inspires reflection on local basketball team

But is it only a game? I don't think so. At least, for me, it isn't only about the game itself.

Wendell Berry is a farmer and writer from Kentucky, a state that knows a thing or two about basketball.

Through essays, novels and poetry, he focuses on the importance of local community and laments the loss of local memory. His voice has been in the back of my mind while traveling to and from games this year.

In his important essay "The Work of Local Culture," Berry makes a keen observation: "When a community loses its memory, its members no longer know each other. How can they know each other if they have forgotten or have never learned each other's stories? If they do not know each other's stories, how can they know whether or not to trust each other? People who do not trust each other do not help each other, and moreover they fear each other."

I don't want to understate the complexity of our time or the complicated nature of the problems facing our communities, but I think Mr. Berry is pointing us in a good direction.

Read more HERE.