"May you be happy, May you be healthy, May you be safe, May you live with ease."
- Lovingkindness Meditation

Here in Eugene there is a delicious Szechuan cuisine restaurant named Uniquely Chengdu, but it isn’t just the food that makes this place notable. It’s a symbol. Located on a back room’s wall is an array of kind words, quotes full of wisdom, in at least four different languages all under the title, “Eugene’s Golden Age.” A wholesomeness is apparent from all these strangers taking time to share this kindness, but within this kindness are the markings, the scribbles, of something profound: we, the people of Eugene, create this Golden Age.

Now, I’ve only been a "Eugenian" for a tad over 6 months, and already I can feel the deep roots of community that puts stewardship, compassion, and openness at the core of the Saturday Markets that will pop back up in April, the COVID response, our drive to make the most with what we have in this portion of Oregon. And despite our criticalness with our institutions and ourselves to do better, for the world and for each other, there is a belonging making its way into the sub-communities, the coffee-shop atmospheres, the people and places that add flavor to being in Eugene. Uniquely Chengdu is one of many.

Mosaic is another spot in the heart of downtown that really captures the essence of what ties Eugene together. Items that emphasize sustainability both to our environment, to our souls, and to those from distant shores. There’s a journal you can find in Mosaic that is made from elephant dung, and this elephant dung paper is more than just a clever, profitably capitalistic product. It is an intentional move to shift perspectives and foster symbiosis.

Thailand farming communities have always been annoyed by elephants stomping on their crops, and as the farming communities would grow, techniques would be developed to keep elephants out. This endangered native habitats and affected migration patterns, but by uncovering ways to create paper from the dung of a majestic beast, elephants were no longer seen as a pest needing to be kept out but rather a neighbor who belongs in these communities. The fact that the economics of the area boomed in tandem is rich.

These flavors, these serendipitous belongings, is what makes any Golden Age golden, and gosh darn, this pandemic has made it really hard to feel plugged-in to the University community. There’s no easy way to dine in-person, and virtual meals don’t feel filling. There’s no magic poo-paper to turn COVID into a pillar of our society. Instead, we struggle to keep the roof up, masking up day to day, some living paycheck to paycheck, all to keep the lights on.

If there’s anything I’ve learned while working with this great cohort to build an entrepreneurial ecosystem at the UofO, it is going to take a village to get through this. But, the hardship only makes our village stronger.

The world may be stuck right now, but we all are working for a better tomorrow. And so, we come up with clever ways to make this pandemic bearable while taking smart risks to keep food

on the table. If that’s not an innovative, entrepreneurial spirit, then I don’t know what is. But, there’s work to do, to make space for this entrepreneurial spirit. There are tons of resources (a good chunk is here: link) at the University of Oregon and the city of Eugene. The grand opening of the Knight Campus especially is a testament of things to come! These resources may have collected dust over the past year due to the shutdowns, but when some sense of normalcy returns, we have a chance to phoenix this Golden Age of Eugene and make up for lost time! There’s much we can prepare for between now and then, and what I am working towards is building a framework that helps each of us tap into the soon-to-be, in-person happenings of the University. There’s more info coming, but I am curious what you think, reader. What are some ways we can make up for lost time? Normalcy won’t return like flipping a switch, but what can we do to turn it on when we’ve got COVID handled?

Till next time. Samuel “the Pheonix” Lester

PS: check here for more information on other ways Thailand farmers are building stewardship with their elephant neighbors.