The Free Radical

On the topic of Community, this is what I submitted:

In a Word: Community

What is the human condition yearning for most?

In a word: community.

Our ancestors had it in great variety and to varying degree. It was central to their thinking, their planning, their actions. Historically, community is important.

But currently, we seem to have lost it… or temporarily misplaced it. Our togetherness has been broken apart… right down to the prevalent fracturing of families. We are now mostly individuals without community… seeking community. I think we’re on the right path… It’s just that we’ve had to face facts for the first time: the modern concept of community has to include everyone. For many, that’s quite a conceptual re-arrangement!

When I look at the word ‘community’ I see two distinct words: ‘communication’ and ‘unity.’

Whatever the future of human community on Earth and beyond might be, it will only come about in direct correlation with our skill of effectively communicating with each other. What’s the most important facet of any successful relationship? Communication. We live in a reality– outwardly– that consists of pure relativity. Everything in existence is in unique relationship to everything else in existence. We can only define a ‘thing’ by its relationship to other ‘things.’ For all the ‘things’ in this external existence to come into right relationship: community, they must learn how to communicate effectively. I’m convinced it’s the deciding factor.

How our communication may evolve from here, I can only begin to imagine. I suppose that it’s likely that some sort of telepathy will eventuate. We seem to be pushing the limits of external technology already. We still need to learn how to properly use the social media we already have… but once we do, look out!

And then there’s unity. That one’s been a real buzzword for years already. We’ve been looking at it… but we can’t seem to get any nearer to it. People come together all the time and rally around the silliest profundities that never seem to have the power or scope to reach everyone… We keep looking for that unifying principle that everyone can buy into. But so far, it remains elusive.

The common refrain heard around the unity meme is that we must focus on our similarities, our commonality. Might I suggest we do the opposite?

We will come to the most powerfully creative, collaborative unity when we honestly learn to appreciate our own uniqueness and the uniqueness of others. We must learn to recognize our differences for what they are: our irreplaceable treasures. What each of us brings as unique individuals to the collective must be rightly valued as utterly priceless. Our individuality is the greatest gift we can offer the collective. Slowly, the collective of humanity will learn to create a culture which fosters a true mutual individualism. Unique talents and specialties will be encouraged and developed to their fullest expression in original singularity. A society that can do that, once it acknowledges the inherent strength in co-operative diversity, will be the society of invulnerable community, the most intelligently creative Being possible. How else can society reach its fullest potential of true community other than by fostering the fullest potential and expression of each of its unit members– the human individual?

Unities built on conformity are bound to always be exclusive; there will always be some who cannot or will not conform to the group, no matter how lofty the collective ideals. Only by actively seeking our fullest fulfillment while allowing for the fullest fulfillment of everyone else– by loving each other BECAUSE we’re different– only then will we unify the all into one… as the infinite creator each already is.
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