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There are two very different things that are seen as building community.
One of these is building in an obvious sense: the creation of organizations, events, lists, and other concrete artifacts of community.
The second is building in a more subtle sense. It involves the shaping of environments so that they become conducive to welcoming and encouraging positive interactions between individuals.
Quite often, the majority of people within a community see the former as community building, but do not see the latter as community building. After all, shaping such environments may involve destroying the things in the environment which are not conducive to positive interactions; and many people do not see such destruction as part of the process of building. They see it only as tearing something down.
Equally often, the majority of people within a community may confuse the artifacts of community with the community itself. Someone may make a list, a website, an organization, or an event and that person is seen as building community. Regardless of the way these artifacts influence the environments and interactions that truly shape the community.
One of the things that causes such confusion is that, quite often, the artifacts of community are *fun*. They provide a sense of heightened existence, of being connected, of being part of something bigger than yourself. They can be intense.
But when the music stops... the rest is silence.
Artifacts are temporary. They can give you a quick fix of togetherness, but they can't really give you community. Like casual sex, they can be pleasurable, but afterwards you go your separate ways. Real community, based on environments, is much deeper than that. Like a real relationship, community based on environments lasts. It remains even when the thrill of the moment has passed. It's there for you to lean on in the hard times, as well as revel in the bright ones.
Most of all, real community takes effort. Artifacts don't. At most they take brief, sustained exertion to achieve their goal. They don't require time, or thought, or sacrifice. They don't require that you really care.
There is form without substance, and there is substance beyond form. Which matters more to you?
One of these is building in an obvious sense: the creation of organizations, events, lists, and other concrete artifacts of community.
The second is building in a more subtle sense. It involves the shaping of environments so that they become conducive to welcoming and encouraging positive interactions between individuals.
Quite often, the majority of people within a community see the former as community building, but do not see the latter as community building. After all, shaping such environments may involve destroying the things in the environment which are not conducive to positive interactions; and many people do not see such destruction as part of the process of building. They see it only as tearing something down.
Equally often, the majority of people within a community may confuse the artifacts of community with the community itself. Someone may make a list, a website, an organization, or an event and that person is seen as building community. Regardless of the way these artifacts influence the environments and interactions that truly shape the community.
One of the things that causes such confusion is that, quite often, the artifacts of community are *fun*. They provide a sense of heightened existence, of being connected, of being part of something bigger than yourself. They can be intense.
But when the music stops... the rest is silence.
Artifacts are temporary. They can give you a quick fix of togetherness, but they can't really give you community. Like casual sex, they can be pleasurable, but afterwards you go your separate ways. Real community, based on environments, is much deeper than that. Like a real relationship, community based on environments lasts. It remains even when the thrill of the moment has passed. It's there for you to lean on in the hard times, as well as revel in the bright ones.
Most of all, real community takes effort. Artifacts don't. At most they take brief, sustained exertion to achieve their goal. They don't require time, or thought, or sacrifice. They don't require that you really care.
There is form without substance, and there is substance beyond form. Which matters more to you?
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