Commitment, loyalty and other unattainable concepts
OK, so as we sat around in our sukkah tonight, the question was raised: can a group truly attain community?
What is community, anyway? It is a word that is thrown around easily, but I am hard-pressed to come up with a good definition. Is it a group of people with like-mind? I have always liked that definition, but it leaves a lot of room for interpretation. So, if we are of like-mind, that would mean that we would want to do things in a similar way, such as worship and leisure activities. But, does that mean that we would all want to show up for the not-so-pleasant things? Like coming early to set-up and staying late to clean up? How about work-days? So, if you don't show up, does that mean you aren't part of the community? Does that mean you have to show up everytime, or just some of the time?
I like to think about loyalty when I think about being a part of a community. I consider myself a fiercely loyal person, especially in friendship. I believe that a person is required to be loyal to a community, in order to earn the right to be a part of it. That's right - I said earn. I don't believe that you are considered a valued member of the community until you have 'earned' the respect of the other members. Sure, you can spend time with the group, but if you are not willing to give of yourself, you will not truly be considered part of the community. You need to show your commitment; how much do you value being a part of the group? How willing are you to conform to the standards of the community? Are you willing to show it with your actions? Are you willing to put the needs of the community as a high-priority. Are you willing to give?
And, what are the needs of the community? Just who, within the established community, are we trying to please?
These are questions to which I would like answers. All these questions could be asked concerning friendship, as well, but that's a different post.
I will continue to ponder these issues, however, I'm not sure I'm going to reach any definitive conclusions anytime soon.
What is community, anyway? It is a word that is thrown around easily, but I am hard-pressed to come up with a good definition. Is it a group of people with like-mind? I have always liked that definition, but it leaves a lot of room for interpretation. So, if we are of like-mind, that would mean that we would want to do things in a similar way, such as worship and leisure activities. But, does that mean that we would all want to show up for the not-so-pleasant things? Like coming early to set-up and staying late to clean up? How about work-days? So, if you don't show up, does that mean you aren't part of the community? Does that mean you have to show up everytime, or just some of the time?
I like to think about loyalty when I think about being a part of a community. I consider myself a fiercely loyal person, especially in friendship. I believe that a person is required to be loyal to a community, in order to earn the right to be a part of it. That's right - I said earn. I don't believe that you are considered a valued member of the community until you have 'earned' the respect of the other members. Sure, you can spend time with the group, but if you are not willing to give of yourself, you will not truly be considered part of the community. You need to show your commitment; how much do you value being a part of the group? How willing are you to conform to the standards of the community? Are you willing to show it with your actions? Are you willing to put the needs of the community as a high-priority. Are you willing to give?
And, what are the needs of the community? Just who, within the established community, are we trying to please?
These are questions to which I would like answers. All these questions could be asked concerning friendship, as well, but that's a different post.
I will continue to ponder these issues, however, I'm not sure I'm going to reach any definitive conclusions anytime soon.
Comments