Community. What does community even mean? According to the dictionary:
a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals.
And why do we value community? We value community for many reasons. We raise our children together - "it takes a village." We used to build our houses together. Teamwork. Everyone is important and plays a vital role. Even the Village Idiot, the Jester, the Scapegoat. We are all playing roles in this thing called community.
Each of our bodies is a community. We are comprised of parts of the whole. Each part plays a part.
Many of us sought community to find a group of like-minded others to support our growth. What happens when one person is singled out, for better or for worse? Do we ostracize them? Do we judge them? Do we punish them? Do we rarify them? Do we worship them? Hopefully none of the above. When a person asks for support of the community from a member of that same community, what do when that fear button has been pushed?
We look inside and ask what we are really afraid of. Ask whether the fear is a present moment fear or warning, or if it is based on a past impression (samskara). It this fear causes us stress, then we need to lean into the stress to find out what the root of this stress is, and as a last resort, perform surgery. When do we perform surgery? Cut it off? That is an individual call. But what do we do when the cut has been made? Can we feel whole again?
When we say "that person is making me feel uncomfortable" or "i feel uncomfortable around that person" we can usually blow it off, tell a friend who will basically tell you that you are correct in thinking the way you do, or do whatever it takes to make sure that you never cross paths with that person. This is one answer, yes. But it could also be a missed opportunity for growth. What is the root of that uncomfortableness. Does it have to do with that person? Does it have to do with a past impression/samskara?
a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals.
And why do we value community? We value community for many reasons. We raise our children together - "it takes a village." We used to build our houses together. Teamwork. Everyone is important and plays a vital role. Even the Village Idiot, the Jester, the Scapegoat. We are all playing roles in this thing called community.
Each of our bodies is a community. We are comprised of parts of the whole. Each part plays a part.
Many of us sought community to find a group of like-minded others to support our growth. What happens when one person is singled out, for better or for worse? Do we ostracize them? Do we judge them? Do we punish them? Do we rarify them? Do we worship them? Hopefully none of the above. When a person asks for support of the community from a member of that same community, what do when that fear button has been pushed?
We look inside and ask what we are really afraid of. Ask whether the fear is a present moment fear or warning, or if it is based on a past impression (samskara). It this fear causes us stress, then we need to lean into the stress to find out what the root of this stress is, and as a last resort, perform surgery. When do we perform surgery? Cut it off? That is an individual call. But what do we do when the cut has been made? Can we feel whole again?
When we say "that person is making me feel uncomfortable" or "i feel uncomfortable around that person" we can usually blow it off, tell a friend who will basically tell you that you are correct in thinking the way you do, or do whatever it takes to make sure that you never cross paths with that person. This is one answer, yes. But it could also be a missed opportunity for growth. What is the root of that uncomfortableness. Does it have to do with that person? Does it have to do with a past impression/samskara?
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