Community

Posted by Alicja Aratyn on 19th Nov 2015

While the world is disjunctive with terrorist attacks in France, I travel through USA teaching and lecturing. I had an interesting conversation during one of the breakfasts in the hotel restaurant. We have discussed people involvement in different organizations and their dedication to the work they are assigned to do as well as the form of gratification they expect.

It stroked me that we are discussing gratification in respect to volunteer work! Volunteer work by definition is done for free, without expecting any form or sense of retribution except for “Thank you”. It’s like with donations – if they are done anonymously they – in spiritual sense – counts, but if donor is known, it does not count as true spiritual act, hence does not build good karma.

I use do a lot of volunteer work. For me it was about giving back to the community, which provided for me somehow. For small children a community provides a sense of security while on the playground. For youngsters those are libraries and many types of evening activities: sport games, meeting, scouts etc. For adults a community means safety of their families and homes. Members of the community should watch for each other and be sensitive to the needs of neighbors. Is it so, though?

More and more I have an impression that in todays over individualized world we do not have time for community, especially in big cities. We do not have time to dedicate to others. We unite only for short period of time in the face of emergency. Like Paris. Like WTC. But with time it becomes just an unfortunate incident and we rush back to our little, individual problems.

It is interesting that great, pleasant and positive events do not have such a unification power. Older generation would attend anniversaries of important events; Veteran Days, Communal Christmas Parties, occasional picnics etc. Today those Holidays (Holy – Days) are abused by stores offering specials, so people have no time to share time with neighbors or friends.

The places, which suffer the most, are organizations. First of all people do not want to belong to anything. If they must, they want to be served. Looked after by the Board. But who wants to be a Board member? Who has time? So, organizations die. Communities of shared interests ceased to exist.

What bothers me here is that is seems to look like a very well prepared and executed plan, which we do not see, since we are busy running after our own businesses. People, who are not united, are easier to manipulate. To lie to. To frighten. To control. I remember when six of my friends and myself flew to Peru for – that’s what we have thought – the experience of lifetime. We promised ourselves to stick for each other and if any of us begin to act strange, the rest will force her to withdraw. And we did. We went through very unpleasant chain of events and – because we were a community, a team of friends – we went through them without much harm. It was not easy, but we made it. Sometimes we had to fight with each other, since there were difference of opinion if the situation is already dangerous or not, but we have survived and came back home safe. In effect those shamans we have visited said that they will never again accept groups! Only individual people, maximum two people if they are a family. We have proved that community, which stand by each other can win in any given situation. One may say that we know abut the power of groups – it is used in meditations etc. Yes, it is. But it is not used in our everyday life and that is sad, because often danger comes from regular life and when we are unprepared it hits hard. It may be too late to build a community at a last moment. So maybe we should re-think our involvement now? Maybe we will begin to help each other and care more? It may begin simply things like knowing which parent has a hard time making it to the school on time, so I will bring their child home with my own children? Or - it may begin with being interested in our neighbor’s health.

How many of us still remember “Welcome Wagons”, which made you feel like home just after you moved in to new location? That was a community. Community is about attention, sharing, caring and love. That’s who we are in our essence. Loving human beings. Let’s do our best to rebuild communities.