Sometime, in history long past, people gathered together because it was necessary for survival. People discovered they could survive better together than being on their own. We discovered that through cooperation, caring, sharing, and division of work, we were stronger, and could better deal with the world around us. Food became more likely to be found, protection against enemies was more effective, and lessons learned could be shared to increase the capability of everyone in the community. Those who distrusted others or could not cooperate probably died out because of the disadvantages of individualism, and we are left with a genetic pool that inclines us towards connection, caring, and serving each other.
However, today, for the first time in history, a person can live without the good will of anyone, without any connections, community, or relationships, and still have all his needs met - he can have food, clothing, shelter, a job, medical care, retirement for old age, protection from those who might hurt him - all through the social system we have built up over time. Relationship and community are no longer economically necessary.
Having always had throughout history very concrete reasons to join together, we are today lost without the glue of life-threatening adversity. If someone is on the street, we wonder why they don't get welfare, why they don't get a job, why they don't take care of themselves better. After all, there are agencies that handle people like that, right? Our personal services do not seem necessary when compared to the resources of the state, so we do not have sufficient motivation to overcome the risk of reaching out to help another.
Yet, we are still genetically disposed to gather together, to help each other, to develop long-lasting relationships that fulfill our needs. But the drive to do so has been severely weakened, and is now more a matter of feeling good rather than of survival.
Not having a ready solution to satisfy our genetic cravings, and not having a society that demonstrates how to live as community, and having a constant drone of advertisements that all tell us that fulfillment comes from spending more money on the right product, we live as we are told to live, but wonder why we feel dissatisfied, or lonely, or isolated. Our society promotes individual freedom as one of the highest values we have. Why would we then give up personal freedom to live within the rules and customs of a community, if we do not see a return worth the sacrifice?
We may awaken to our true needs someday, if we can get away from the constant influence of corporate and societal forces that give us a very different message than that of our soul. Someday, perhaps we will have advanced to the point where we can be more concerned with fulfilling everyone's emotional and spiritual needs. How much suffering will take place before our awakening?
I think a critical factor is missing here. Isn't it true that most communities were formed by extended families and by people of the same race and creed? Would it have been safe to be an stranger in those communities? But I don't think the stranger on the street would have been cared for any better in previous cultures, then he is today.
ReplyDeleteI think, today, that tolerances have expanded so that people seem to belong to more complex communities - even to several at the same time.
Even so, I agree that our self-sufficient culture has sadly bred a generation of less social people. Our families are spread far and wide.
And way too many are dysfunctional.
How do we solve the community isolation problem today?
I agree with what anonymous said that communities in the past may not have treated a "down and out" stranger any better than we do. I imagine they would have said "where are your people?" "why are you not taken care of by your community?" "you must be really bad", or at best, "we might have a little extra, or if we have a use for you we might considering letting you stay on the edge for a while if you prove yourself not dangerous and useful".
ReplyDeleteAlso, many people do live in community. There are very few of us who live the life described that is possible to live (getting all of our basic needs met without any close contact with people, through social institutions). I like to say "Community Happens". That is true for me.
This discussion is pretty hypothetical. It starts to go in the hypothetical general direction when we talk about all of society in big sweeping statements, and is not as interesting. What about your personal experience with community and individualism?