Why is Community Important?

Community is important.

Because human beings are social creatures, we seek out like-minded individuals to form communities with. This is where religious groups, civic organizations, and even nations come into being. People who share one or more interests/beliefs join together and form a community.

Community - Positivity 206 We often look at this from a “big picture” sense. We live in a given community and such. What I am talking about in this instance is that which we choose to identify with, and what that can mean for us.

I have been actively participating in the Society for Creative Anachronism for over 25 years now. The overall community that makes up the SCA in-and-of itself is pretty amazing. Within the group, we form other communities, like among fencers, heralds and artisans. Some create households, which work much life families, except that you choose the people you include as such.

This is what, I think, community is meant to be. We come from disparate parts of the world, various backgrounds and education levels, socio-economic statuses, and so forth. Yet we identify as a part of a broader community. When there is tragedy, we come together to support one another.

Like any such organization, there are differences. We have our disagreements. But when all is said and done, this community is an amazing source of strength, and I have formed some of the finest friendships of my life from here.

The amount of positivity this community is capable of creating is tremendous. Together, we support one another, and we work to foster an inclusive, fun cultural identity to be shared.

It is not perfect, but then, what in this world is? We may be the “island of misfit toys”, but often that strengthens the community we build.

The Greater Notion of Community also matters.

We suffered a terrible loss in the smaller community I am a participant of. We are grieving together, and in our shared experience offering our support to one another in this unfortunate time.

Today in the USA is Martin Luther King Day. It is a day to honor a man who worked to change the greater community of a nation to be more inclusive, more equal, more loving. Because of the blatant racism of our current President, our nation needs to remember now more than ever the effort to build a new and better community Dr. King put forth.

The diversity of our greater community is something to be celebrated. We have opportunities to learn a great deal from one another, and this is a day to honor that.

Community, whether greater or smaller, should be about sharing love, peace, comfort and joy. This is a place to build and celebrate positivity together, even when we suffer a tragedy.

To my family in the SCA, I grieve with you for our loss. To my family that is the USA, I honor our diverse cultures, and will do whatever I can to help build a more equal and loving world like what Dr. King envisioned.

Finding positivity is not hard, but it does require action.

Knowing that community can bring us together, we have a powerful tool to work together to build a better world. When we come together as a community, we have the opportunity to share a great many things, and when we empower one another in our communities, we empower ourselves. When we feel empowered, we frequently spread that feeling to others around us; as such, we can build more positive feelings in the collective consciousness. We can use the positive feelings this generates to dissolve negative feelings. When we take away negative feelings, we open up space to let in positive feelings, and that is something we can be grateful for. Gratitude leads to happiness. Happiness is the ultimate positive attitude. Positive attitude begets positive energy, and that is always a good thing.

This is the two-hundred and sixth entry of my Positivity series. It is my hope these weekly messages might help spread positive energies for everyone. Feel free to share, re-blog and spread the positivity.