Community As A Practice
What do we mean when we say Community As A Practice?
Co-existing and co-living in community means to a large extent unlearning rather individualistic, transactional and competitive programmes embedded within our programming. It requires us to be co-operative in ways that may not always feel so natural to us, so we have to constantly practice the values we wish to embody.
What is Community?
"It’s not utopia. It’s a microcosm. Everything that’s in the outer world is there. Marginalisation, addiction, poverty, sexual issues, power. Communities are just fractals of society." - Kate Sutherland, Findhorn
So how do we avoid making the same errors we have made outside in the world, in our newly established co-living communities?
We need to lead by example, and learn to live in service so that we can build trust amongst each other. This is something way easier said and intellectualised than actualised and embodied, and it requires daily practice and focus.
It takes time to build, and can be so easily corrupted and lost
In this Community as a Practice model we focus on the values, character strengths and virtues we deeply want to embody, in order to vibrate and be the change that we truly wish to see in the world. Much like building a home. The stronger the foundation, the less likely it is to be swept away in a natural disaster or by changing natural forces.
Community as a Practice is an overview of the character strength philosophy that underpins primal gathering. And what we believe needs to be consistently practiced and embodied in order to live harmoniously in co-living communities. For those interested, I have practices that are associated with each element to help cultivate more of each virtue into your own life and community life. More on this later...
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