SOME THOUGHTS ON THIS IDEA OF COMMUNITY

Who could argue that our greatest blessing and greatest curse is the people around us?. When we find the things that make life worth living, it is often the opportunity to share experiences with others. And yet when we look at the things that bring us our greaest misery it is also, most often, people. In this, community is a strange thing. There is a diversity in all communities, simply due to our various dispositions and the walks of life we come from, or exist in. Politics find their way into all of our human affairs, even the most noble of our communities. And to reatin any wisdom. life asks us to wisely create communities and learn to protect the inegrity of them, which is often like taking care of a garden. The more beautiful a garden, the more diligent we must be in caring for such a thing, pulling weeds, watering, and tending to the things that may be withering for some reason or another.

Some of us are dabblers. We are not highly social people. We do not require a constant state of connection. We dip our toes in the waters of communities to remind us of the purpose of being around others. Sometimes that is agood thing, it is just how we are wired. Sometimes we are difficult and demanding people and communties remind us of this shortcoming, so we avoid long stretches of time around them, Some of us are deeply social. It is our fuel for existence. Perhaps we struggle with loneliness and we are comforted in the crowd. Whatever it is, we find our way and life presents the rewards and challenges of being anywhere that we choose to hang our hat.

Finding our particular community to exist in, if we seek such a thing, can be a lifelong challenge for some. So many things can go awry as is the case in any environment that relies on human affairs. A Church is, without question, primarily a means to create a foundation for a form of community. In my many travels and experiences, I have found that in many religions and the churches that house them, it is the minority of people that are primarily there for the religion. If you stick around long enough you quickly realize that most people are primarily there for the community and the religions allow for a certain set of ethics and guidelines to guide such community.

The world is our oyster. Some people are born to move around that oyster, some to stay in the middle, while some prefer it on the edge of the shell. We all have a relationship with the world whether we know it or not. Some have no choice but to navigate this connection on a grander scale while some need not concern themselves with such a grand world. It is this part of our wiring that defines our individual connection to community. It is all equally valid. What is honest and true to our nature, and hopefully respectful to others, is all that matters.

This community is defined by our relentless pursuit of love strength nd wisdom, our three jewels of life. It is also defined by our reverence for calm and stillness to find its way into our souls. It is a place that honors the sacredness of being healthy, looking after our selves and understanding the art of self healing. It is a community that honors the divine nature of life, but is rooted in the practical. Life is a cosmic thing, but we cannot get lost in the cosmos. Our feet need to stay grounded on this earth. Moderation? Of course. We see drugs as a short term and often unfortunate path to spiritual experiences, as we gain little strength from drugs. What can we experience without drugs? This is what we want tp pursue. This is what our community feels to serve and empower. What else? How about an excuse to just spend some time with our fellow brothers and sisters and share experiences? Is that so wrong?