Community and Freedom 1
I haven’t sent a series of emails for a while, so this begins a reflection on the importance of community in our lives, and its relationship to finding individual freedom and fulfillment. There is often a perceived tension between these things: fulfilling oneself individually versus being part of a community. MORE
Community and Freedom 2 – The Vast Sweep of History
So many people today say they long for a greater sense of community. What is it they want? What are they lacking? In the broadest sense, what is community and why do we want it?Most humans, as far back as we can trace human beings, have lived in groups, in communities. This is our basic way of being; it seems to be our basic nature. MORE
Community and Freedom 3 – How Did We Get Where We Are?
Most humans, for 10’s of thousands of years, have lived in groups. This seems to be our basic nature. We are communal creatures. Further, for most of our history, our human communities were based on where we lived – our communities were made up of those who lived close to us. MORE
Community and Freedom 4 – What is Community? What is Freedom?
It is time to define as clearly as possible what these two things, Community and Freedom, really are. This is not easy. I have read many different definitions of community, and they vary considerably. Those differences, however, are as nothing compared to the wildly differing views about what freedom is – an argument that has been going on for millennia. MORE
Community and Freedom 5 – Guidance From the Wise
Sometime around 800 BCE, the worldwide human population had started increasing significantly, and tribal groups that had been somewhat separated from each other were running into each other more and more often, especially in China, India, and what we think of as the Middle East. Further, the systematic cultivation of land was gradually allowing for the storage and exchange of crops, so people could congregate in cities, and increasing numbers could engage in occupations other than hunting and gathering or farming – they could instead specialize in various skills and crafts. MORE
Community and Freedom 6 – The Spiritual Journey and Community
Going back to the farthest reaches of recorded history, we humans have been social creatures. Trying to understand a single human in isolation is like capturing a bee and trying to understand its nature, behavior, and actions in isolation from its hive. We are embedded with others from birth; we are helpless and dependent in our early years to the point that we must receive care and sustenance from others or we will die. MORE
Community and Freedom 7 – The Essential Ingredient for Healthy Communities
My mother grew up in an isolated, rural area. Their nearest neighbor was about a mile away and there was a small country store at a distance of about 2 miles. They had to walk to school, which was about 5 miles, and the only transportation besides walking was a mule-drawn wagon. There were about 30 families stretched up and down their 10-mile-long farming valley, and no one had electricity, running water, indoor plumbing, or any of the modern conveniences we take for granted. MORE
Community and Freedom 8 – Lessons from the Past – for the Future
For tens of thousands of years, human beings just like us in physical and mental capacity lived together in small groups. These early peoples were embedded in their communities and in nature, and many had rich and fulfilled lives. Numerous healthy societies flourished, and various members of those cultures experienced the satisfaction of a shared world and a shared life. MORE
Community and Freedom 9 – Creating the Future
Last week I highlighted several ancient cultures that provided our ancestors with healthy and fulfilling lives. A few of those cultures have continued into the present day, but most have been broken or disfigured by the forces of colonialism and nationalism, and few modern cultures (with all the blessings they bring) have been able to deliver important benefits ancient peoples enjoyed. MORE