I’ve had this post on my mind for about a month now, and I just wasn’t sure where to go with it. ?It kind of all came together at once, though. ?Let me explain…
We, as human beings, are social creatures. ?I’ve said it before on this blog, and I’ll say it again. ?We’re designed to live together. ?Whether you believe that God created us this way, or we simply evolved these traits, you cannot deny that very few of us can survive for long on our own.
It seems to me that if we didn’t gain more than we lose from this arrangement of living in a society, it wouldn’t have lasted as long as it has. ?There’s got to be some kind of advantage that outweighs all the potential for disagreements, clashing ideologies, and the loss of freedom.
That advantage is summed up in this video I’ve posted below. ?If you’re like me, it’ll stick with you.
The advantage of community comes from having the opportunity to reach out to those around us when they’re hurting, and to shoulder the load of their life for a little while as they get back on their feet.
There are plenty of people out there, unsung and uninterested in being so, who live every day of their lives in such a way as to be a help to those they come in contact with. ?One such guy is Nate St. Pierre of ItStartsWith.Us. ?Check out one of the things he’s working on: ?Drop A Love Bomb. ?An idea so simple, and yet extremely profound.
What if each and every one of us racked our brains to determine how to make the world a better place, and implemented it? ?Every time you see a problem on the news, or in your daily life, ask “What can I do?”. ?Find a way to impact those around you. ?Do it now.
Let me confess this up front: I’m not really what most would call a “people person”. I know I’ve mentioned it before here, but I’m somewhat slow to meet people, even when those people come into my turf (like my workplace, or church). I just have a tough time thinking of ways to get conversations started, and I dread the awkward pauses that are sure to come fairly quickly after we start talking.
But, here’s the thing: even people like me need others around us. I’d prefer that they left me alone most of the time, sure, but I do enjoy having others around me, just for the sense of them being there.
We humans are social creatures. We’re made for living together in groups. Some of us like groups that are bigger (like New Yorkers), and some would prefer smaller communities (like those of us who wouldn’t live in New York if you paid us). But, we all need people around us. It’s an innate drive that we can’t overcome no matter how hard we try.
This need for community stems from the fact that we’re not good at everything we need to be good at in order to survive. We’re specialists to some extent. We are supported by, and in turn support, others. Where our talents end, other’s talents begin (and vice versa). We each have something to contribute.
But this is more than just some vague, general understanding that, “Yeah, I can’t milk cows, so I’m glad that the grocery store has 2% in their refrigerated cases”. Beyond the understanding of specialization within a society, there’s actual community. There are groups of people (we call them “family” and “friends”) who support you when you need help, celebrate with you when something goes well, and generally just make life more pleasant when they’re around.
We rely on these people to greater or lesser extents every day, depending on the situation, our psyche, and what random circumstance brings up. But, not a day goes by when we can do it on our own. We always need someone else’s contribution to our lives, no matter how much we pride ourselves on self-reliance. It’s possible that we can make it on our own, but it’s certainly not possible that we can make it the best way on our own. We need each other.
I say all this for this reason: I know that I personally get frustrated with the people around me, even the ones that care about me the most. I struggle with my attitude, calling people “jerks” and “idiots” in my head or behind their backs, even if not always to their faces.
I need to learn to have more patience with others, as I know they have to have patience with me. I need to make allowances for people to act the way they’re going to act, even when it frustrates me. Because, from the very same mind that causes those annoyances also generates the actions that make my life worth living.
Focus on the good in people, and learn to cut them a little slack. You’ll probably find that they begin to cut you some, as well. And goodness knows, you probably need more slack than they do.
