Community is often defined as a group of people that live in the same place or have a particular characteristic in common with each other. For me id say the latter part of the definition is a more accurate representation of what a community really is. To me community is more about the beliefs that hold people together rather than the physical conjunction of a large amount of individuals. Examples include communities like MGTOW, feminism, me too, pro choicers, etc. Id say the people that make up my community are the ones, as stated previously, share the same beliefs as me. These include people of my gender, people who are conservative or are muslim, people who have the same major as me and are looking at similar future job prospects, people who agree with me in politics, and pretty much every field in life. I think community matters a lot in society in this day and age because for one, community had always mattered. Ever since the beginning of the human race, tribes have always been formed. Its basically a human instinct. Now pertaining to this day and age, id say the reason why community matters is because in the era of the internet, people have easy access to other viewpoints across the globe which has caused a lot division amongst all social groups. I would go as far as to say in a way, this is the most divided humans have ever been, not in terms of ethnic groups, but in ideology and culture. I get involved in my community by spreading awarenss in whatever ideology I believe in. On Reddit, im in groups that engage in self improvement, meditation, and spreading the messages of Islam. I also volunteer at my local mosque and help any friend or family in need. An image of what represents community would be any picture that literally just shows a group of people together, engaging in activites that reflect their shared characteristics and beliefs. The best part is that shared characteristic can literally be anything ranging from race, gender, politics, religion, culture, etc. I think community has value towards our individual lives because, as i stated earlier, its basically a human and instinctual need. People in communities have lower rates of depression, lonliness, and anxiety. Any person who holds the belief of misanthropy or selfish independence are only fooling themselves. As human beings we are interdependent. One similarity that can be seen with majority of leaders is that they all preach “know that you cant do it alone”. I believe that this statement and advice ties with the importance on community. Forming a community also gurantees more safety as people in the same community tend to stick up for each other. After your family, i would say community is the hext important thing as it is the closest thing you can ever have to a family. Without a community you are truly lacking your biological imperative. Humans are social creatures and we need one another in order to make it farther than we can ever fathom. Also emotions and power are much stronger when they function as a collective.
