Diary of a Heretic → Community Spirit
(Written July 16, 2008 by Janine)
When I was a child I lived in a street where everyone knew each other. Neighbours would frequently call in for a cuppa and a chat without any announcement and front doors were never locked. I can remember spectacular New Year’s Eve gatherings where every one congregated in the street to sing Auld Lang Syne and bashed pots and pans to welcome in the New Year. Everyone supported each other and there was a real sense of community spirit.
In today’s society we have all become so insular. We often don’t know the people that live in our street. Front doors are constantly locked for security reasons and our daily contact with the outside world is usually through digital images projected from a square box in the lounge room or through communications via the internet.
Today’s communities are often cyber communities where our main chats are via forums, face book, pagan space, live space, my space and in reality there is no space or time for actual face to face communication. Its all becomes so impersonal, where blogs often become a sequence of diatribes with lots of lol’s and perhaps a couple of smiley faces thrown in for good measure. Keeping in touch becomes a momentary funny poke or perhaps an occasional likeness test.
Recently I attended a Yule gathering with my circle of pagan friends where we each brought some food and drink to share. We all congregated around a log fire under the stars like our ancestors and gave thanks to the Gods for our bounty. We all engaged in real conversations about our daily lives. We laughed and joked around like all good friends do at such occasions and it made me realize how important community is to our wellbeing and how truly blessed we are that we can be apart of each others lives.
If you were all alone in the universe with no one to talk to, no one with which to share the beauty of the stars, to laugh with, to touch, what would be your purpose in life? It is other life; it is love, which gives your life meaning. This is harmony. We must discover the joy of each other, the joy of challenge, the joy of growth. – Mitsugi Saotome
Janine
July 16, 2008
