Word of the Day: Community
In my work I often hear from people who are longing for a strong sense of community and connection. As someone who has moved around a lot, I have certainly felt this longing at times. Currently, it appears there are many people struggling with feelings of isolation and loneliness.
This has prompted me to dive deeper into the true meaning of community. What are seekers of community really searching for?
community (noun) :
a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common
a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals
a unified body of individuals
Community comes from the Latin word communis meaning “common, public, general, shared by many or all” and the Old French word comunité meaning “commonness, everybody.” In the 14th century, one use of the word community meant “the common people” (not the rulers or clergy) due to these root words and their association with commonness.
In this sense, searching for community can sometimes mean that we are searching for people we have something in “common” with, to feel that we are understood and not alone.
The word community contains the prefix com- meaning “with” and the word unity meaning “the state of being united or joined as a whole.” Another way of expressing unity is “oneness.” In this way, we can express community as “with oneness.” The first time I realized this meaning I remember feeling that it was quite enlightening.
Every time I was searching for community what I was really seeking was oneness. For me this longing for community has at times been an inner longing for unity being projected outwards. When I am in health, which means wholeness, I am “with unity.” Times that I have longed for community were times when parts of me were out of balance. The more I remember that I am always with unity, always a part of an interconnected whole, the more I feel connected to an external community without needing to seek it. The more I feel in health and balance, the more I feel able to give and receive communal support.
It’s natural to want to connect with others and feel that we share common ground. If we aren’t experiencing this we can start by observing what’s happening within us. If you are seeking community, you may ask yourself:
Where am I out of balance or health? What parts of myself can I invite out of separation and back into union? How can I nurture unity within myself and my environment?
I have always found trees to be a wonderful model of community. A forest is a living community. With interconnected roots, trees demonstrate interdependence. Older trees provide shade and protection to younger trees, demonstrating inter-generational support and care. Trees provide gathering places, habitats, food, oxygen, and shelter. When one tree falls, all of the other trees don’t break to meet it. They hold steady in interconnected strength and oneness.
There is a Native American concept of the Sacred Hoop that was shared with me by one of my teachers from the Montauk tribe, Sadanyah Flowing Water. In this concept a community is equated to a sacred hoop and each individual represents one link in the hoop. The community is only strong if each link in the chain is strong. It is the personal responsibility of each of us to maintain the strength of our link in the chain. If we are in strength, we can lend support to others. If our individual sacred hoop is broken, we must mend it to strengthen the community.
As we learn through etymology, community means with unity. A community is stronger when each of it’s interconnected parts are in strength. If we are in strength, we can lend comfort and support to other members of the community, strengthening the whole.
