Summary

The article emphasizes the importance of community over division and fear, advocating for respect, joy, patience, faith, generosity, and hospitality as key components of a true community.

Abstract

The article "Community is the Answer We’re All Looking For" argues that the current state of societal division and online hostility is not our true nature, but rather a consequence of fear-driven behaviors. It suggests that we were designed for community, to live in harmony and mutual support, rather than as isolated, combative individuals. The author points out that the government cannot provide the sense of community that humans crave, which is rooted in genuine relationships and shared experiences. The article defines community through principles such as honoring one another, joy, patience, faith, sharing, and hospitality. It also references the negative impact of commercialization and the pursuit of wealth on community spirit. To foster community, the author suggests overcoming fear, which often manifests as shallow relationships and a lack of genuine connection. The article cites resources for conflict resolution and personal growth, emphasizing mindfulness as a tool to combat fear and create a more connected society.

Opinions

The author believes that the current state of society, characterized by division and online aggression, is contrary to our inherent design for community and cooperation.
The government's role is not to provide community but to support the framework within which communities can thrive.
Commercialization and the relentless pursuit of money are seen as detrimental to the sense of community and human connection.
Fear is identified as the primary obstacle to building community, leading to superficial relationships and an inability to form deep connections.
The article suggests that mindfulness can help individuals overcome fear and contribute to the creation of a supportive community.
The author advocates for a "win-win" approach to conflict resolution rather than a competitive "I win at all costs" mindset.
The article implies that societal change towards more community-oriented living is possible through individual and collective efforts to overcome fear and embrace vulnerability.

Community is the Answer We’re All Looking For

However, the forces of fear will do everything to separate and divide.

We are designed to live in community with each other. Photo by Tegan Mierle on Unsplash

My heart breaks every time I see a social media post go sideways as people snipe at each other, degrade somebody for their opinion, and put labels on others that they most likely don’t deserve to wear.

We were not designed to become these keyboard warriors, activists on steroids, judges of all other human beings.

We were designed for community, living in tune with each other and be sensitive to the needs of others.

What we’ve become over the last couple of years is ugly and downright disgusting.

The challenge is that only we can get ourselves out of this ugly area and back to becoming the community we were designed to be.

The major roadblock standing in our way to becoming a true community is that it’s easier to be divided and hate-filled. It’s easier to believe that the government will find the answer and the money to fix the problem with all its politicians and career bureaucrats.

My heart is broken because if we allow the government to be the answer, we’ve allowed fear to win, and we’ll never experience the joy and peace of living in community.

What Does Community Look Like?

Love is a key component of community. Photo by Mike Erskine on Unsplash

These are the components of what community looks like. It’s a difficult place to enter because the work of community requires one thing to happen. I’ll save that for last.

Honor one another with respect and an ear to listen. This means we listen to other’s opinions, and instead of being divisive, we agree to disagree with respect and a lack of judgment.
Be joyful in hope. Two words that pack a ton of meaning. (Define joy and hope)
Be patient with others when they’re going through difficult times.
Practice faith with one another in stepping out to do new, challenging things.
Share from those in need from what you have.
Practice hospitality.

I told you this wouldn’t be easy. As you might notice, the government can never provide this for you because that’s not what the government was designed for.

Community looks a lot like what I experienced when I lived in Central Asia. Things were a lot simpler in the country I was living in before the oil money started flowing in and everything became commercialized and about money.

Perhaps that is one of the solutions to what many are looking for today? Maybe, the commercialization of everything and the mad dash for money is wearing people out and causing there to be so much division and strife the world over.

In studying conflicts in community, one organization tries to carve out some simple solutions to conflict resolution or what I call the lack of community. Community Door, a Queensland government organization, wrote an article titled “Resolving Conflict” that strives to develop solutions.

The “creative approach” they found to conflict resolution may be one solution to the lack of community we are experiencing these days. A “win-win” approach is always better than an “I win at all costs” approach.

Even this article does not touch on what I believe is the number one most significant problem with creating community. I wrote an article about a year ago that I think begins to identify the biggest obstacle to community, “Fear is a Liar and Steals Your Happiness.”

Overcoming the Fear That Keeps Us From Community

Conquering fear is best done together. Photo by “My Life Through a Lens” on Unsplash

To overcome fear, one must first identify that they are living under fear. Fear manifests itself in a lot of ways, but the easiest way to see if you are living under fear is to examine whether you let people get close to you or whether you have relationships that are only surface. If you find your relationships are all surface and never get deep, you are allowing fear to control your life.

Forbes has an article written by Josh Steimle from several years ago that gives some great ideas for overcoming fear. “14 Ways to Conquer Fear” will provide you with the confidence you need to live a life in the community. My favorite is “Don’t just do something. Stand there.”

We are all so busy trying to get ahead and trying to make our first million dollars that often we will find ourselves just doing something because we are afraid that if somebody sees us doing nothing, they’ll think we’re lazy.

The opposite is so true. Often, the best way to get ahead is to stop doing something and to wait. Look around you for the answer that is causing you to just be active, madly looking for a solution to a problem that is best solved by being mindful of what is going on around you.

Mindfulness is getting a lot of attention these days, and it may be just what is needed to overcome fear and create community.

Psychology Today defines mindfulness as “a state of active, open attention to the present. This state is described as observing one’s thoughts and feelings without judging them as good or bad.” Their article “Mindfulness” is an excellent study into what should be a common practice for all humans wishing to stop living a life of fear and wanting to live a full life.

The Takeaway

Community is something that the majority of humans deeply desire. The road to community can look perilous and fraught with danger. However, that is just fear bellowing in its loud voice. Don’t give fear room to control your life.

To create community and stop living in this divisive, ugly world we live in now will take overcoming fear and being attentive to what is going on around you.

We’re not looking to create a utopia, just a better world to live like the best version we were created to be and to live in a world where we embrace the differences in each other instead of battling each other because we’re different.