The Importance of Community

By Austin Cowan
Blog Content Contributor

Human beings have an innate desire to be in a community. Without a community, loneliness steps in, bringing hurt, unhappiness and isolation. Gaining community is honestly ironic, because in order to join a group’s community, an individual must welcome the group into theirs. Life can be difficult, and it can bring a person down. Life brings many challenges, but, when surrounded by genuine love, challenges can become less challenging. Surrounding oneself inside a community is a condition many people long for, and I encourage you to use these reasons below to build upon yours.

When referring to the importance of community, I am not referring to a group of people living in the same place or sharing a common characteristic, but the feeling of fellowship felt as a result of sharing common goals, interest and attitudes. Being surrounded by like-minded people is one of the most encouraging places a person can be.

Encouragement is a side effect of one person loving someone else enough to extend to them psychological aid. As a college student with a job, internship, friends, family and organizational duties, I understand how replenishing a kind word can be to one’s spirits. Words of affirmation are powerful and can strengthen the bond within a community. When the people you care about or wish to get close to are feeling down, be there for them so they are not alone. As the old saying goes, what goes around comes around. So, be there to help those you care about and your true friends will do the same for you.

A community is built by friends who prove their loyalty through their actions. Actions do speak louder than words. A true friend will not hesitate to pick their buddy up off the side of the road in the middle of the night and the pouring rain because they got a flat tire. Friends who are willing to inconvenience themselves for one another are creating community through their actions. Next time a friend is in need, help them out.

In order to build a community with people around you, time must be invested in people. Where a man spends his time, his heart will be also. Anyone who desires community needs to make the effort to invest in other people. Time is a precious resource, because once time is gone, it is gone. Devote your time in those around you and amazing things will happen in your relationships.

Being in community is a wonderful place to be, because it provides peace, love and support. In order to make community happen go out into the world and create it! Speak kindly to other people, let your actions show where your heart is and spend time with what is truly important. Community is worth the expense.

Featured image by Madison Tyson.