We need to revive the community if we want to harness the power of the collective. It is pivotal to the health and development of the individual and society.
What Is Community?
A community is a social unit or group with shared commonalities like – location, interests, values, hobbies and activities, or spiritual beliefs.
For example, consider the good old-fashioned well-connected neighbourhood community back in the day. This began to fizzle out at the start of Generation X.
Why Do We Need a Community?
Humans have been living in a community for generations. As social creatures, we thrive on building meaningful relationships. Our connectedness gives us a sense of belonging and purpose. But moreover, well-connected neighbourhoods improve our safety, resilience and well-being.
The Downfall of Community
With the advent of the internet, we have seen the gradual breakdown of the community. The demands of modern life and our increasingly overwhelming busy schedules undoubtedly leave people feeling less connected.
As we increase our reliance on digital connections, we significantly reduce our time in the real world. Reduced face-to-face interaction has a profound impact on our emotional state and well-being.
So, what is the solution?
How Do We Address The Issue Of Declining Communities?
The problem comes in when we become tech-reliant or tech-addicted. The goal is to become tech-savvy like early Generation X. Gen X knows the importance of community and therefore knows how to set boundaries. Gen X harnesses the power of the digital world to bridge the gap in their social lives. They use social apps to reach out to family and friends to plan outdoor events and activities.
Our goal must be to use the digital world to connect with family and grow new friendships. Our intent must be to interact with them in the outside world.
The Rise Of The Lone Ranger
Furthermore, an increasing dilemma is the idea of autonomy and independence. Some people have the mindset and mentality that they ‘can do it for themselves’ and ‘make it on their own’. Conversely, happiness and success increase with interdependence because we achieve more as a collective.
When we take the path of the ‘lone ranger’, we begin to live in lack. Consequently, the feeling of lack is what triggers depression. We deprive ourselves. Why? Because nurturing a supportive community helps to grow, empower and sustain us.
What Is The Value and Benefit of Maintaining Active Communities In The Real World?
To begin with, let’s consider the community as we would a human body. This helps us understand the power dynamics of a collective to build a strong society.
The community comprises many people, like the parts of the human body. They function together in healthy and interdependent ways for optimal well-being. The benefits of this mutual symbiosis are endless.
Community Can Help Us To:
- Build Unity – community gives us a sense of togetherness and solidarity. It is a force for good enriching our lives and teaching us how to love, support, and build kinship. It is indeed a necessity to shape and define our identity.
- Improve Health & Well-being– social isolation over time deteriorates our mental, emotional and physical health. This increases our risk for depression and chronic physical health conditions. Building strong ties and relationships in the community improves our well-being and increases longevity.
- Improve Our Moral Compass – when we lose community, we witness a loss in communal values. In truth, it provides a foundation to help guide and shape our moral compass of right and wrong, good and bad. It bonds and upholds us to shared values.
- Emotional Support and Motivation – community motivates us to persevere. It helps us see our goals through to completion. A collective pushes our limits with motivation, support and friendly competition. It encourages cooperation, sharing and compassion.
- Overcome Obstacles and Cope In Crisis – a community will support us when things get tough. It stimulates us to love, give and support one another. We give strength to the weak and draw upon the strong.
- Build Trust – community members learn to lean on each other. When we form trusted relationships through reliance, we significantly increase the opportunity for collaboration.
- Be Accountable and Responsible – as humans, we are imperfect and fallible. We are prone to losing our way from time to time. A loss of community results in a loss of responsible citizenship. For this reason, we need a group to hold us accountable. In fact, the community provides a refining process to shape good character.
- Be Virtuous and Authentic – Without community, we become self-centred and self-absorbed. As a collective, we are inclusive and less selfish. We learn to foster respect, ethics and consideration. This promotes authenticity, honesty, transparency and confession.
- Nurture Self-awareness – Community encourages self-reflection. When we share our pains and shortcomings, we liberate ourselves. We grow empathy and understanding when we bring light to the things which hold us in darkness.
- Increase Creativity – having diverse perspectives helps to ignite our creative juices. As a result, living in an active community can help to increase our capacity and potential for new ideas.
- Maximize Opportunities – through frequent interactions within a group, we discover ways in which we can elevate the community.
- Increase Value Collectively – a close-knit group can yield meaningful collaborations. Interconnectedness and awareness of group activities promote participation, thus making life fulfilling and purposeful.
- Benefit from Collective Wisdom – and lastly, nothing compares to the combined intelligence of an intergenerational community. We draw upon each other’s knowledge to thrive, survive, and live a life of meaning and purpose.
Given these points, consider the compounding effect and power of the collective. Undeniably, it holds the remarkable capacity for the growth and upliftment of the human spirit in every way!
In light of this…I say it is time for us to revive the community to ‘Reignite the Human Connection’! If you agree, join us at Lifebonder to make this dream a reality.
Jessica Maria Dwyer
Jessica is a Content and Copywriter devoted to injecting the elixir of joy, inspiration and enthusiasm into the reader with her love for the written word. Her passion is to empower people to discover their potential, experience health and vitality, and inspire unity through reviving the tribe and reigniting the human connection.
