"Happiness is only real when shared." — Alexander Supertramp
Last week, I decided to move across the world, leaving the glowing community I've built in Oregon and get a master's degree in London. I was at Oregon Country Faire, surrounded by many of the people I love most. This journey has shown a light on the importance of community by unearthing my rooted fear to leave the people I love. I've realized more than ever that deep human connection gives life meaning.
In a course on Sustainability I took in college, my professor had us study the meaning of having a sense of place. Since leaving my home in Ashland, Oregon, it has been my mission to find a sense of place. To find the meaning of home whether that be a physical space or something greater. I've found that I feel most at home in this world when surrounded by people who deeply see each other. This type of community is grown between people who choose to be vulnerable with each other, letting down the walls that are kept up on a daily basis to protect themselves from the harsh realities of the world.
“We cultivate love when we allow our most vulnerable and powerful selves to be deeply seen and known, and when we honor the spiritual connection that grows from that offering with trust, respect, kindness and affection." — Brene Brown
I think that as people go through hardship, we have a choice between rejecting and embracing the greater community. We get hurt. We hurt each other over and over, building walls as we go to protect ourselves from future hurt. Learning to let these walls down is like diving face first off of a 50-foot cliff. You have to trust that you will survive the fall and land swimming into that beautiful ocean beneath you. In a world that continues to emphasize individualism, we have to learn to ask for support when we cannot support ourselves.
Community is outside of society, the place where we can find mutual ground and support each other through the hurt. We're born into the systems of society and community is the intentional space created above the societal level where humans have the space to connect with each other. In community we help each other grow, nurturing each others roots in our shared ground. It's the space where we focus less on ourselves and most on what unifies us.
The reality is that we need each other to survive. Alexander Supertramp went into the wild as he ran from the darkness created with society. As he lived off the land, alone in the deep wilderness, he realized that the key to happiness is community. How can we be happy when we don't share our joy with our communities, big or small?
