The importance of community
One of the things I recently experienced on my 2-week trip to Columbia was the value of Community.
It’s something that’s been unravelling for me on my development journey over the last decade.
In Columbia, I shared accommodation with three others, mealtimes were in a group of 10-15, the days were spent doing activities in a group. There was time for being together, sharing together, supporting each other, learning together, enjoying together.
I spent much of my life as an individual - very individual, self-focused and very autonomous. Perhaps it was part of my conditioning from society. I grew up in a world that said I should create my own destiny, set and achieve my own goals, build wealth, become independent, get my own home.
There’s something missing in all this rhetoric - what’s missing is the nourishment that comes being with others - from sharing yourself, from caring and being cared about.
I remember the days at University (a long time ago now), the year I lived in halls of residence. There were friends and ‘community’ on tap. Sure, I had my own space in my own room which gave me some time for myself, but what was special was that it was part of something bigger - friends to hang with, friends to connect with, friends to do things with, common interests and shared experiences.
It strikes me that life in our western world has become too independent. We’ve lost touch with others. We live in our own concrete buildings. We may see friends, but it’s typically the occasional night or weekend. Most of our life is alone or alone in our little nuclear family. I know some of my clients feel alone, alone with their own thoughts and challenges. And as they climb the leadership ladder, the challenges are bigger and there’s more aloneness too.
What dawns on me is - Community is vital. Community at work, Community in my neighbourhood, Community in my market sector, Community in my company…
Human beings flourish from connection. It’s only my ego and my conditioned thinking that ever took me away from this.
So a question I’d like to ask you is - do you have enough community and connection in your life and work? If not, what might you do about it?
Note: this post isn’t a pitch about the Quality of Mind Community. But I will mention it here. We have a small friendly Community for those who’ve been through the Quality of Mind programme. It’s a low cost (£99 per month) way to connect with others and explore real-life topics monthly that we’re all challenged by. If you’d like to try it, come for a month and see how you feel. You can get in touch to find out more by emailing me.
