Community according to Wikipedia
In biological terms, a community is a group of interacting organisms sharing an environment. In human communities, intent, belief, resources, preferences, needs, risks, and a number of other conditions may be present and common, affecting the identity of the participants and their degree of cohesiveness. In sociology, the concept of community has caused infinite debate, and sociologists are yet to reach agreement on a definition of the term. Indeed, one can find 94 discrete definitions of the term even as early as mid-1950s. Traditionally a “community” has been defined as a group of interacting people living in a common location. The word is often used to mean a group that is organised around common values and social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household. Wider meanings of the word can refer to the national community or global community.
So I’ve been living in this Community Life program for about a month and a half now. We still really don’t have a good idea of what we are aiming for. One thing I have learned is that the word community means something different to almost everybody you ask. Even the “definition” above reflects the relativity of the whole concept.
It seems to me that there are few things in our world anymore that have real absolutes. Almost everything is left open to interpretation. It’s all about equal opportunity, open mindedness, diversity, tolerence…
I am also learning a little about the generational differences in out culture. The 18 and 20 year olds in our house see the world through completely different eyes than mine at 33. How well do I really understand their needs? Although somebody has to be in the leadership position, we are all students and leaders of eachother. I have as much to learn from their worldview and strengths as they do from mine. I think this is the beauty of a community such as ours. We are all very different people. Though our differences can pose many challanges, they also offer much strength. When we learn to embrace our differences and appreciate each other, we broaden our own perspective and develope a more accurate and well rounded worldview.
Every view has many angles, and as we learn to see through other’s eyes we are able to see a much bigger picture. I imagine that the more eyes we look through, the closer we get to seeing things from God’s all-seeing perspective.
