Being in Community

I’m a rugged, individual American. Every American is.  (This probably holds true for whatever country you belong to.)

Or at least we think we’re expected to be this. And that’s a problem as our cities become larger and we have to drive to the grocery store rather than walk. We don’t sit on our front porches anymore and talk to people walking by because the houses in new housing developments don’t have porches, or sidewalks, or grocery stores.

We’ve lost our sense of belonging to a community of people. When we do gather together, it tends to be for national celebrations like July 4^th or for sporting events. The crowd is large and anonymous, and we don’t share on the personal level. We talk to the people we came with, and that’s about it.

Having a community where we know each other is important for our sense of belonging.

When I’m camping, community becomes crucial because things happen outdoors. If I break an ankle on a trail, I will need help getting back. If a cold thunderstorm soaks my sleeping bag and clothes, I will need someone to offer me shelter. When climbers have an accident on a rock wall, the community of climbers rallies around to get them safely off the mountain and taken care of.

We need each other if we are going to survive.

One year as I arrived in Camp Four in Yosemite, the woman who had been staying in the campsite before me gave me her food as she returned to Australia. When I left, I passed my food on to those who were arriving.

When I’m hiking up the trail to the top of Half Dome, community forms with strangers because we’re moving at the same pace for hours. Often we will take rest breaks at the same time on that steep, sandy trail as it heads for an elevation of 9000 feet. We talk and learn about each other’s lives. We suggest other trails that we think the other one would like. When we get to the top, we toast each other’s success as we marvel at the astonishing view of the Sierra Nevada range.

We are told to be strong individuals by society. But it’s in community that we learn the world is greater than ourselves.

It’s in community where our strengths flourish.