Source Your Happiness In Community

This is part 2 of a 4 part series on “Being the Best You, You Can Be.”

People are funny.  We want to be generous.  We want to be loving.  We want to be kind.  But so much of the time we opt for being stingy, hateful and mean instead… mostly to protect ourselves.  Who hasn’t heard that it’s a “Dog-eat-dog world out there” or been told that you’ve got to have a “Kill or be killed” mentality.   It’s survival of the fittest, and all that, right???

Wrong.  Fully living life is about being connected to one another, not protected.  You cannot be the best “you” possible in a vacuum; you need community.  Human beings need connection in order to survive.  We need to be IN RELATIONSHIP with one another.  We need conversation.  We crave input.  We need people.  Anyone that tells you differently is in “protection mode” and ultimately, that will cost them happiness and satisfaction in life.   The importance of community cannot be overestimated in one’s life… and the lack of community can be translated into feeling disconnected and lost.  Community helps us define ourselves and hold true to our values.

People have thrived in communities ever since time began.  Community is often used to refer to a group that is organized around common values and attributed with social cohesion.  Since the onset of the internet, a community is no longer limited by geography and is most often defined my common conversations and commitments.  The word “community” is derived from the Latin word communitas (cum, “with/together” + munus, “gift”), a broad term for fellowship or organized society.

A need for community lies in the soul of every human being; it is a basic human need.  Whether you examine the Native American tribes that lived, worked and hunted together, or the Christians who gathered together to worship in the first century, the common thread that runs through every nation and culture  throughout history is the role that community plays is one’s day-to-day life.  Being part of a nurturing community is very important in each of our lives and has been for thousands of years.

Modern culture, particularly in the US, often encourages individualism and praises “doing it on your own.”  But what would life be like if we could depend more on one another… if we had an expectation that those we loved and were in relationship with would be there to help us pick up the pieces?  Or even more so, they would be supportive on a daily basis to help us build our faith, our vision and create more happiness in our lives.  This is the integral role that I believe community plays in life.  Community is truly at the source of our happiness and feelings of fulfillment.  If we, as individuals, know that we are part of a bigger whole… a community that we can trust and count on, we thrive in life and produce better results.

Unfortunately, too many times, individuals think they are strong enough, smart enough and competent enough to source themselves.  They don’t “need” anyone else… they can do it all alone.  This is a recipe for disaster and loneliness.  Sure, being vulnerable and being part of a community means risking getting hurt and, occasionally, maybe even taken advantage of, but the rewards for connection are great.

It is only in community and in relationship, that we learn and grow and get our souls fed.

For more on this topic, check out my blog entry “Connection is Key.” (https://www.produceamazingresults.com/be-awake/connection-is-key/

Your homework is to “inventory” the communities that you are a part of.  How do they source you?  How do they support and create happiness for you?  What other communities might you join in order to fulfill your mission in life?