Understanding Community

February 07, 2009

Understanding Community

At some level, I believe that many of us understand that true community begins with ourselves and our desire to connect with someone outside ourselves. A community of two, in this case, is the core and foundation of relationship that we all strive to have to create full and abundant lives. But how are we caring for our communities that we establish? Are we remaining pure in our intentions and true to the elements that make any relationship a successful and powerful one?
In my own personal life I notice, especially as I grow older and hopefully wiser, that it is my responsibility for the health and well being of all of my relationships. While this may sound exhausting, if you learn your personal receipe for how this works for you, it can be easily accomplished without it seeming to require a huge amount of constant work. And yet, anything as valuable as a great connection requires that we remain 'aware'.
Our external worlds seem riddled with increasing amounts of stress; and as our global worlds stress increases, in turn often, so does ours. This inreased stress seems to strike at the very heart of our ability to stay focused on what truly matters to all of us, and thus the erosin of personal quality of life seems to also be a result of these circumstances.
I, too, find myself falling victim to the onslaught of the woes of life around me.I, too, wake at night worrying about the quality of life my children may have with the rising unrest that faces our world. How could I not think about global warming and the impact it may have on all of our lives in the future.
I do not pretend to have the answers to these tough questions. I do, however, know that worry does not help me maintain good quality of life, and in fact, diminishes my joy. I can choose to set worry aside and replace it with the abundance of the human spirit, which is ever present and existing eternally in each of us.
I can remember to harness the power of my spirit while continuing to maintain my personal community as well as create new community. I can always choose to smile at strangers, and to reach out my hand to anyone who may need it. I can continue to live in this world through the connections that I make and focus on the quality of life I live and touch each day.
Remember that a world filled with joy and abundance begins with one life filled with the same.