Creating Community
What kind of community do you live in? How do you feel when you walk down your street? What do you perceive in the eyes of the person passing you by? Do you dare to look them in the eye? Do you feel safe? What could possibly be the right answers to all of these questions? It's complicated, some say. People can be complex, for sure. But we can discern the right answers to all of these questions. Maybe you live in a community where walking down the street makes you feel connected. When you see someone walking toward you, you feel free to look them in the eyes, smile, say hello and wish them well. As they pass by, you feel no fear, no apprehension, no need to squeeze your valuables a little tighter. You know you are safe. You know they are just like you. Now let's be clear. I didn't say they look like you. What does it mean to be just like you? Can we get beyond the surface and truly begin to see that we are more alike than different? No matter the outer appearance, people desire similar values in their surroundings. How do we work to create truly safe, inclusive, and cohesive communities?
Too often, we overcomplicate the issues and miss the solutions. I believe that when we get to know, trust, value and appreciate one another, we will be willing to do the necessary work to create those types of communities. We have all the raw materials essential to creating healthy, inclusive communities. We may have to refine our thinking, but I'm hopeful we can get there. The raw materials for creating a true "civil society" are within our DNA. I question whether they have been refined to the point where human society achieves its potential. We need only examine the last two years' events to see our lack of collective awareness.
Our world has been plagued with social and medical crises unlike any in the last 100 years. We were supposed to be on the path to greater social unity. Where are we now? Have we gotten lost? Sometimes I wonder whether we can ever get back on track. But to believe otherwise would only accelerate our demise. So, I hold out hope. I work to realize that hope. Call me naïve, but I believe we can get back on track and create safe, inclusive, connected communities that care. Communities that connect beyond technology, communities that see beyond the surface, communities that realize that we are more alike than different. We don't need to hurt this much. We need to become reawakened to what binds us as members of the human experience. We can create communities where fear isn't our default reaction. I choose to believe there is a deeper depth of caring waiting to be released within us. There is a greater awakening to come—one where we recognize we are more powerful together.
I believe we can break free of the debilitating fear which has captured our senses. But that freedom will only come if we collectively work for it. My yearning and hope are not enough. None of us can accomplish this alone. No group alone. No nation alone. We need a new reality where we recognize and appreciate that we need each other. Whether we believe it or not, some things are simply true. Do you know that peace is harder to wage than war? Do you know that peace is more difficult to maintain than fear? Do you know that with peace comes hope? Peace allows us to flourish. Peace can only truly be demonstrated and felt when we are in unity. We will have peace in communities where we see, know, and appreciate one another. That is the kind of community I want to live in. What about you?