Building Community

While I was searching the web for community building tips to share with all of you beautiful people, I stumbled upon an article by Susan Heathfield about the decline of community in America. It says:

Community is breaking down in America with serious implications for volunteerism, charity-giving, religious practices, neighborhoods, friendships, family, democracy, and society.

I couldn't agree more.

I grew up feeling fairly isolated until I went to Quaker school when I was about 13 years old. I didn't have a network of friends in my neighborhood and my family was distant and unstable. Perhaps that's why community building became so important to me. I realized that you had to create it if you wanted it at all. The local infrastructure did not provide it and it could not be taken for granted.

As the article suggests, our society has fewer and fewer institutions for people to come to together and support one another. I remember learning about the decline of the extended family in American culture and the growing prevalence of the nuclear family. However, our society has become so dissociated that even the structure of the nuclear family is unraveling.

Many children grow up in two-income homes where increasing financial and household pressures limit the amount of quality time together. The average American watches more than four hours of television per day, according to Nielsen. (Check out these stats). According to studies, children spend more hours a year watching TV (1500 hrs) than they do in school (900 hrs). As children grow up, families move away from each other and relationships are strained. The divorce rate is high and many children are raised by single parents without the support of a community. The result of all this is that we are becoming even more isolated as the nuclear family disintegrates.

The article also says that people aren't joining community organizations, churches, recreation groups, etc. I imagine many people don't feel like they have time. Our culture is also highly individualistic and we tend to view the expectations of others as an infringement. However, communities and groups, working together for a goal or just for mutual support, are all about rights and responsibilities. But, we often look to avoid the responsibility.

So, that's why I think community continues to decline in America, but I do think there is hope. The fact is, we need each other. We need community. We need friends and we need family (by blood or by choice). We need to feel loved and supported. What's more, if we have any real desire to accomplish our goals and make life better, we need people to help us do it. People are reaching out to each other, especially online. We're connecting to people all over the Globe to fill the deep need for community.

And, that is why I think Gaia is so important. We're building an online community with purpose, designed to make all of us healthier, smarter and more compassionate. It's also an online community with every intention to have offline gatherings, events,  and an impact in the marketplace. All of this is the reason that YOU are so important. 

You are so important.

What you do here can make a huge difference. It makes a difference if you authentically invite another member to become your friend, if you post constructive comments on their blog, if you connect with the Team here and share your ideas, if you attend that Gathering, or even better, if you decide to organize your own Gathering, if you write a heartfelt blog or if you share a meaningful video.

Generally, I don't connect with anyone online that I wouldn't want to connect to offline. I like to integrate as much as possible and I've spent face-to-face time with friends from Gaia all over the country and I've met friends from Gaia from all over the world! I'm reminded of the phrase, "Think globally, act locally." Well, I think you must act locally if you want to have a fulfilling life. As Mother Teresa says:

Spread love everywhere you go: first of all in your own house. Give love to your children, to your wife or husband, to a next door neighbor. Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness; kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile, kindness in your warm greeting.

But, as technology progresses, the more local & connected we all become.

As we face this decline of community in our modern culture, I remember that there is also more potential to build community. We can choose to have this value in our lives and we have more and more resources to reach out to people who feel the same way. And, we can seek out the people in our actual local areas as much as possible.

My suggestion is, when you go out there today, remember, it's up to all of us to build community. It's up to all of us to recognize how much we need healthy relationships, support and people we can count on. It's up to us to see that we are connected, even if we pretend we are not. Our actions and choices impact others and we are impacted by theirs as well, even if we stay inside the house all day. It's up to us to realize this and try to choose the impact we have.

So, help a friend, do something generous, be kind, learn the name of the cashier at your local veggie lunch stop, ask someone for help, slow down your busy day and help someone feel seen, be seen, be a guest, be a host, be responsible, be accountable, be creative, be loving, and be you, the best you can be :)

Oh, and check out the article I mentioned if you haven't already. It's right here :)