It is the end of the calendar year for me and my family. We live in the United States of America and use the Georgian calendar to keep track of days, weeks, months years. If you have read my previous blogs or heard me speak I have always taken an issue with time. I am not a fan of the idea of time or trying to measure it.
People like us, who believe in physics, know that the distinction between past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.
Albert Einstein
Digressions aside (we will certainly discuss time on this blog at anther juncture), we are all on Earth and the earth is turning and orbiting the sun. the earth moves and soon the earth will move into what is called the winter solstice. The winter solstice is the time of the year when the paths of the northern hemisphere of the earth are farthest from the sun. Many cultures in the Northern hemisphere call this time of the year near the winter solstice the birth and rebirth of the sun. They have different names for it like; Christmas, Yule, Hanukkah, Los Posadas, Soyal… the list is long.
The holiday season is upon us and even in the southern hemisphere there will be a celebration, a little warmer and much more outdoor fun though than the one in the northern hemisphere. Almost all the communities of the world will somehow gather together and find a way to meet.
This holiday got me to thinking about community. What is it? Why is it? Do we need it? How does it happen? I chased the rabbits a little yesterday and today and came up with some insight.
Best I can tell from limited ,”research” (using research is generous I did very little digging into this) is that a community is an emergent group of life forms that have some commonalities and help each other. The commonalities can be and often are, geography, interest, experience, intent and identity.
Think about your commuities that you are involved in. Family would be one of identity, work would be experiences (8 hours a day), religion (intent, live a moral live (your communities morals)), finally your neighbourhood would be geography (HOA, city councils …).
Why do these communities matter? Well because there is power in numbers. When humanity works together amazing things can and do happen. Imagine the northern hemisphere ok done. Now imagine the Northern hemisphere prior to 1882. Wait why then? Well 1882 was when electricity was beginning to be more widely used. Basically prior to 1882 lights out meant lights out unless you were burning a candle or fire in your home. Even without electricity humans built and came together to do amazing things, ; the piano, fire extinguisher, steam engine thermometer. Ok so you are back in the 1700 and it is winter solstice what do you do. You get together with your community and sing songs drink warm drinks talk about how much food you have that isn’t spoiled see who doesnt have food and care for each other because you need each other.
Communities are emergent they come about out of need. A global pandemic has or should have reminded us that we are all humans, identity. We all live on earth, geography. We all want to live intent, and that we are all living, experiences. I know that typing we are all living is kind of foolish of course we are living but with so much loss from this pandemic it is important to realize that you being alive is a big deal.
Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.
Muhammad Ali
Lets all use this holiday season to come together as a community and help each other. At the end of the day all we really have is each other.
Seasons greetings to all
The Corrigan Encore 