Over the past few years, I along with many of you have had life events which have impacted and influenced our lives individually and collectively. Births, miscarriages, deaths, illness, divorces, marriages, job loss/change, financial setbacks, moves, graduations – we’ve gone thru them together. The list of events is long but not remarkable. Its life, unfolding, exactly and precisely as it has for millions of years.
What struck me is not the events themselves that we are jointly experiencing, but the remarkable community I/we have underpinning the many challenges/opportunities and experiences life provides.
What is community? A community is a group of individuals who share common values and beliefs. Community is not only about geography but also about shared social values. We experience a shared sense of community when a disaster strikes (floods, fire, death etc.). We experience a more intimate sense of community when we participate in communal family events (marriage, birthdays, graduations etc.). Community draws us closer thru the shared practice of religious events. Community is alive through daily family and social interactions. Community brings us together, binds us momentarily or forever, creating unity, acceptance, support and passion. Community is both intimate and anonymous.
The blessing of community is the sharing of self, without hesitation. The extension of a hand and a heart. A kind word, an uplifting message, the placing of ourselves, intentionally and purposefully in another’s life. Acknowledged or anonymous – giving of ourselves with purpose, purity and intent.
Community is the overt and the covert. The creation of schools, the championing of the underprivileged, the quiet gift of financing, the donation of blood, the hugs we share, the quiet time we listen to another, the tears we wipe away, the souls we uplift, the lives we impact, influence and make better out of choice, design and intention.
I hope each of you are eternally grateful to be blessed with the vibrant, passionate, enlightened, humorous, diverse, caring, educated, talented community of friends surrounding you. None of us would be the same without them. Thank
I think the lines become blurred and unfortunately cross over from “community” to “Industry”. The world of healthcare is no longer a medical community but an industry. I have seen the same phenomenon on YT with beauty for ex. Make no mistake, there is very little community left in most fields. I think it’s up to individuals to carve out communities for themselves amidst a profit driven world.