The Table Gets Bigger When We Pull Up More Chairs

What do you think of when you hear the word “community?”

It can carry different meanings for different people. Some people refer to their neighbourhood or the area of the city they live in to be their community; others may refer to their religious group their community, or maybe even it’s the online presence and the groups that you belong to on social media.

While those can all be definitions of community, let’s explore what community means at its core, and where some of the fragmentation occurs.

Our world is organized around certain principles that market to us that these things will create community, but we have to ask ourselves, what community means to us and if the things we are promised, are truly bringing people together, or tearing us apart.

The world created many tools for our disposal, that were to make daily tasks more efficient, so we could have more time with our family or doing the things that we love.

Through these tools, we were promised speed. We were made to believe that faster is better. Take these supplements, cleanses, faster chargers for your devices, the list goes on. AI to solve all of our problems so we don’t have to do the work.

Electronic connections were great, especially during times of isolation, but are we still stuck on utilizing social media, emails, and texts, more than we are embracing the human connection, which includes being in the present with another physical human?

While these tools and resources have been helpful, and we can’t go back, we can only move forward, but I think it’s important we take a good hard look at how we currently spend our time and engage with people, and ask ourselves if this is the type of community we want in our lives? And if not, what can we do different to establish a healthier, more productive, and meaningful community.

This may look different for everyone and that’s okay too. The importance here is to take a good hard look at whether what you currently have as community in your life is fulfilling for you and why.

For me, community is about connection, and I think others may agree.

If we look at western culture, it is very individualistic. However, if we look to eastern and Indigenous cultures, they are very much a collective society. I believe we can learn a lot from other cultures and what community means to them. It allows for us to adopt different perspectives, and use what works for us to implement into our own lives. That’s the beauty of community and connection; we can learn from one another.

Want another great example of what community looks like? The Superbowl half time show with Bad Bunny is a prime example. Authentic. Real. Connection and celebration. Those would be few words to describe what we were all witness to. A celebration despite the struggle. They are in it together; we are all in it together. It was a message of unity, and we need that more than ever right now.

What builds community?

From my perspective, community is finding like-minded people who share in the same goals and visions as you, but it’s also about being open minded and stepping outside of your comfort zone to participate in community and building connection.

John Mcknight shares some of his insights, which resonate with me and I want to share with you.

1. Focus on gifts- community is built on people’s gifts rather than their deficiencies. People want to know what you can do, not what you can’t.

2. Systems of care and compassion- creating systems that are capable of service AND care. Many services that are accessible are based on transactional services, rather than services with a focus of care and compassion. If people’s lives aren’t being changed by the services being offered, something needs to change.

3. Problem solving- we have the power in our hands to create the changes we seek. When citizens stop waiting for leadership, or professionals to make changes, and decide to take actions themselves (in a meaningful way, not to perpetuate further harm). Sustainable change is constructed in places where citizens, not institutions or experts choose to come together to produce a desired future.Werner Ernhard offers a similar perspective, but he focuses on language, context and possibility. He goes on to say:

The power of language is important. Dialogue and communication are important tools for creating change, but how we communicate and engage with one another matters. If we want to create change, we must shift our language.

The power of context- this means that the way we function is based on our worldviews, which are also known as mental models. The only way we can change this view, is by shifting our perspectives and the context in which our decisions are made. We must be willing to challenge our own thoughts to gain other perspectives. We need to be willing to change our relationship with the past in order to move forward and re-think for a different future.

The power of possibility- Possibility is a declaration. A declaration of what we can create in the world each time we show up. It’s a condition or a value that we want to see in the world, such as peace, humility, reconciliation, inclusion, etc.

Community is about connection. The human connection. To be in the present moment with people. Learning from one another. Embracing curiosity and working towards a common goal- a better, safer, healthier community for all of us. No matter what community we come from.