We are a social animal. We need others in order to survive and for our own mental well-being. We need to nurture our communities.
Family is a form of community. It is one worth nurturing, but our societies today are so complex that we must include those communities that are outside the family.
I would measure the health of any community based on the level of trust members have of each other. A community with no or limited trust among members is an insecure one and the benefit to a member is fleeting, fragile or limited.
In ancient times our survival depended on our membership of a clan. Often banishment was the worst punishment that could be meted out to a transgressor. The person would be forced to wander alone, hunting and gathering with no support at all. If they were wounded in a hunt they would starve. If they were lucky enough to be invited into another group, they would probably have a very low status. If they were unlucky enough to encounter a hostile group they may be killed or enslaved.
Our modern societies often centralise the support structures. In ancient times these were closer to us and more immediate and were based on the family, tribe, religious group and village. Today we pay taxes to the central coffers, and receive benefits due in either free or subsidised services. This allows us to choose our group affiliations, or in some cases limit them, voluntarily or not.
Today we may be involved in several different groups at once. Some of us are involved in sports or literary groups, or have a place where we meet a supportive group. We may gather and socialize in a pub or club. We may frequent a temple, church or mosque. We may or may not have to make a financial or voluntary contribution to the support group.
Some cultures have in-built community bonding mechanisms, including all religions. Small tribal groups will often have close bonds through language, custom, necessity and geography. Religions have this through their belief system, but in most cases few members totally understand the philosophy of their group´s beliefs. They maintain their bonds through ritual, custom, following a common leader, and through peer pressure.
The sense of belonging that both of these groups have are strong. The effort required to feel that you belong is minimal, if required at all. This is usually a huge benefit to a member´s well being. However, some of these communities are so rigid that they can abandon or marginalise members of their group who stray, or they prevent members from having access to outsiders. So in-built community structures can be very beneficial, a real abalia, or a combination of both.
Sometimes we are automatically members of a group, such as the place we work (office, shop or hospital), or a learning institution, or prison. Some of these are excellent social environments, but some not.
Studies indicate that loneliness is one of the biggest problems in modern society. This is a result of isolation, physical or mental.
When there are no pre-determined group structures in place which we can depend on and which depend on us, it requires effort to maintain membership or to become part of any new groups. Some people, often out-going social types, find this comes naturally. Others struggle to join or maintain membership in a group, although a community that is welcoming and supportive is easier.
We may provide services to our community as a volunteer “for free”, or by being paid for “profit”. Which way we do this may matter or not, depending on the situation. After all being paid for work done is merely a method of exchange, where the value is represented with money. A volunteer may be repaid by feeling appreciated, or by meeting new people and building friendships. The most import result should be to feel valued and that you belong.
Times are changing rapidly. We are now in the internet age. Many jobs require more time on-line and less time in an office or factory floor. Most of us do not work in a very social environment such as a hospital or school. Increasingly more work on-line or in the delivery of goods, where contact is fleeting if at all. The Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated this change.
An on-line community like Facebook, WhatsApp or Tinder may be better than none. They may be very useful tools. However, they do not seem to replace an old fashioned gathering in person. Touch and being in the same place are missing, and these seem to matter. Time spent on-line is time spent away from our immediate surroundings. That can be a relief if our off-line environment is not supportive, or if our on-line time is a minor part of our social interactions. However, it seems that for most of us time on-line cannot match the mental benefits to us of real time interaction.
I hope that those of us who are not members of a religious group, and do not frequent a community central place frequently, will find such a community focal point. I envisage somewhere we can occasionally cook and enjoy a meal together, dance and sing, listen to a talk, discuss a topic or do yoga, or other activity.
In any case we need to be aware how important being part of a community is to our well-being, and nurture those with whom we are involved.