KIN STORIES
Cultivating Community
1. a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.
2. the condition of sharing or having certain attitudes and interests in common. ”the sense of community that organized religion can provide”
The word community seems to be a buzzword among people like me, those who are desperately trying to detach themselves from the world of materialism and consumerism (well at least that’s the perception of myself that I hope I portray). In a world that is constantly attempting to drive us apart, segregate us, grade us and rate us, how beautiful is the soft hum of the phrase “a particular characteristic in common”. This idea that there is a group of people out there that not only will tolerate my differences, but revere them, celebrate them and agree with them. They actually have characteristics in common with me, they are in this group because they chose to be, not because I paid them, forced them or coerced them.
Even more delicious than the first definition is the second, beyond characteristics, those in community with you have shared attitudes and interests, This means that those who you find in your community have developed a settled way of thinking or feeling about the world that we live in. They have an innate desire to know or learn something about you and what you stand for. And more often than not, they stand for the same things. In a world where social media drives us apart, titles define us and likes boost our self-esteem, how glorious is it to know that when you find yourself within a community of like-minded people, you have the undivided attention of decent human beings that treasure your opinion and celebrate that which makes you, you.
The greatest lesson we can ever learn is to treat others as we would like to be treated, and I don’t believe that there is a sound-mind on earth that can refute that simple yet powerful statement.
(Author: Jessica Carolissen)
