Over the last week I have had several conversations about community. What is it that creates community? In college it was so easy to create. Factors such as a common cause (such as going to school at Fill in the Blank U.), living, eating, learning, and playing together all contribute. Then you move off-campus - Hooray! You are no longer living and eating together (at least as often), but community usually continues. The reason for my question is that once you move out and start to work, it is more difficult to really create community.
So what is it? Is it a safe place (i.e.-the student lounge or so & so’s room), a catalytic person, a common cause, or just blind luck? I have to say no on the luck thing because, for the most part community occurs in many places at most colleges, and by my own definition luck cannot equal the status quo. I like the safe place idea (that place that’s like a home away from home), but I don’t think this is the it I’m talking about. It certainly only helps to foster community, but as a friend pointed out, “it was about the people, not a place”. So is it one catalytic person that makes it all happen? I think there’s merit to this one, but I’m not sure if that’s it. I think most groups that really foster community have that person that sits on the phone and makes sure everyone knows what’s going on, or the guy that has the idea when there’s nothing else to do to go slide hook up the boogie board to the back of the jeep and drive through the flooded streets (but let their roomate sleep through it all - curse you guys!). Is it a common cause? There’s a lot of merit here as well, but I don’t think this creates and fosters lasting community. If two hunters get together, they may have a lot to talk about, but that doesn’t mean that a quality relationship is going to form.
So what is it? Personally I don’t know, and further, I don’t know how to foster community after the college years when it seemed so easy. How do you create (I use this word knowing that it is not something that can be fabricated, but I do feel you can create an environment that is more conducive to this) community among people who are working their tales off for 8-10 hours a day, coming home whipped from their work week and have to deal with raising their 2.5 kids and stressing over finances that are stretched way too thin. Churches often try to do it on Sunday mornings, but 3 hours on one day a week is not enough to create community.
I realize I haven’t answered anything here, but I would like to hear your thoughts on what the it is that creates community. Please feel free to comment or critique anything written in my Vox.
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February 5, 2007 at 9:50 am
Mark
Was chatting with a wise shaman recently, who mentioned that “Community only comes from a cause.” I wonder if throwing ourselves together into a cause too large for ourselves might help forge what you are talking about. This is the difference sociologists refer to between “community” (Shared living)and “communitas” (Shared Mission).
February 5, 2007 at 12:44 pm
cindy
Commonality is certainly key. But I like what Mark is saying. A shared cause or mission really puts you there. Unfortunatly we get way too busy doing the mundane. We have to make room for community. It has to be important enough to us to get out there and create it, spend time with people, sacrifice some things.