Community – Lessons from the Past
In 1913, a small rural village in Ohio had a problem. Rusty and dented Black Model T cars with their metallic rimmed headlights and skinny tires chugged through the same muddy streets as the horse-drawn wagons from the nearby farms. But the problem this agricultural village had was not a road problem. Instead, it was a rodent problem. They were being overrun, not by vehicles, but by vermin. Vermin, as you may know, is a term used usually for small animals like rats and mice, which carry disease or destroy local crops. The community had not experienced any disease outbreaks, but it was well known that these vermin could carry diseases like typhus, rat bite fever, and even plague. In addition, they were a general nuisance by eating the stored corn, wheat, and oats that were raised as a cash crop and cattle feed by the local farms. Because of this vermin problem, the community banded together, and some 600 people decided to hold a contest to see which part of the village, the north side or the south side, could eliminate the most pests. It is recorded that on New Year’s Day, 1914, after a 5-week period of competition, the pest hunt had totaled killing off 5,437 rats, 8,023 mice, 12 hawks, and 2 crows. (5437/5 =1100 rats/week; 8023/5 = 1600 mice/week) This small village really did have a problem!
The losers on the north side of town hosted the winners of the south side of the town at a banquet of oyster stew, pots of brewed coffee, and a delicious variety of basketfuls of food brought in by the losers. I’m reasonably sure that no pests were served at the dinner; but I’m not certain. Who knows? But, though not recorded, I would imagine that quite a few beers and shots of whisky were consumed as well. This unusual event in the village was later referred to as the “Rat Fest.”
The village had a problem and they solved it…together. It was a community of different people, of different backgrounds working together for a common good…protecting and providing for families and their children. A local problem had been solved by local people.
Thousands of similar stories could be told of communities bonding together to solve local problems, although perhaps not as archaic or humorous as this one. But nonetheless, the point is that people can work together to achieve solutions which benefit both the individual and the community at large. Historically, this bonding of togetherness for mutual benefit, seen both in the urban as well as rural neighborhoods, has been the time-honored process of solving local problems with local actions. As such, the concept of “togetherness” seems to be the logical first step in any process towards community. Togetherness breaks down barriers and helps people understand one another. It helps erase misconceptions and old grudges by means of face-to-face encounters between involved persons. Furthermore, there are no expectations held or commitments made other than respect and civility of discourse.
The topic of “community” has been wandering around in my mind for some time now…probably brought to the fore by some publications I’ve run across lately. I’ve been noticing frequent articles describing present-day problems that young adults are experiencing coping with emotions of loneliness and anxiety. It appears that over the last several decades young people have progressively struggled with developing meaningful personal relationships and find themselves lacking confidence and purposeful direction for their lives. They don’t seem connected to anything beyond themselves. For example, one source cited that in 2012, 49% of young adults preferred face-to-face interactions with others; in 2018, it had dropped to 32%; choosing electronic media over personal interaction instead by 2:1.[i] Another study has revealed that over half of the young adults between the ages of 18 and 34 have no present steady romantic relationship.[ii] I have been asking myself a lot of questions. Are American youth in real trouble? Are we losing them to the tune of digital attractions? Are not some of the best years of their lives being lost in isolation and loneliness, with technology as their predominant companion, and without any sense of true community? How can concepts like empathy and compassion be experienced without a sense of meaningful personal relationships? Does the concept of community have a role any longer as a foundation for understanding values of genuine personal worth and identity?”
As a society, several additional questions stand front and center:
Is the concept of a genuine personal focused community still relevant?
If not, what is to replace it?
If so, how can it be restored?
To begin to answer these questions, one must first ask, “What is meant by the terms “true community” or “genuine community?” My hunch would be that most young adults would respond to these questions by stating that their sense of community resides on the internet, their teams and meets, Facebook and TikTok, texts and tweets, chat rooms and blogs. But are these really genuine communities or are they merely charms to tease away the worthwhile character of young people?
Then, how is genuine community different? What are its distinguishing characteristics? How can genuine community serve to protect our youth from the allure of digital enticement and distraction?
These questions about genuine community got me thinking a bit about my own childhood and early adulthood which was admittedly many years ago… before social media. What were the reasons that made a sense of community valuable to me? How did growing up in a true community benefit my growth of character in forming who I became as an adult?
So, I took a walk down memory lane.
I grew up in the same small village in rural Ohio as the Rat Fest (though a century later I would quickly add); but I think many of my experiences could also be found even in the urban areas where small communities of ethnically and racially centered groups of people have found a sense of community, that is, a sense of togetherness and interdependency based on their personal relationships with one another.
As I took my stroll upon the path called reminiscence, a lot of thoughts and emotions soon surfaced as remote and dusty images: the high school basketball games on Friday nights and smell of the popcorn sold there, the weekend pick-up football games at the park with other neighborhood kids, church socials by the Ladies Aid consisting of mouth-watering homemade noodles, rolls, pies, and cookies; and of course, the annual village homecoming social in August complete with barbecue chicken, watermelon, and homemade ice cream, served adjacent to the bingo stand with its cheap prizes. In the summertime we would have family reunions where the distant family would get together at a park for a picnic to reconnect with one another, telling stories and revisiting memories heard many times before.
But those aren’t the only or the most important memories that the shadows of the past reveal. Their bygone dusty images tell stories of heartache and conflict as well; by which, perhaps a bit of childhood and adolescent insight was gained. A kid gradually understood that the crabby old lady in town had experienced a terrible childhood, never married and lived lonely. The elderly man with the incessantly yapping dog, now only had the dog as his companion after his gentle wife had gradually died from cancer several years ago. The two rebellious kids on the next street, we called him juvenile delinquents at the time, grew up from a dysfunctional family where the father was rarely around; and that run-down rusty car parked on the side street was of a family who had lost their jobs long ago. Out of these experiences and relationships though, grew an understanding; and that understanding matured as we grew up into a sense of empathy and compassion towards others. People knew one another and their issues (for everyone had issues), and they responded to one another’s needs regardless of social standing, race, or age: responding to one another’s losses and tragedies of life in a genuinely personal and caring way. Food was brought in, cards and flowers were sent, and a sense of mutual loss was shared by those beyond the immediate family. Farmers would help harvest the crops of other farmers who were stricken by illness or personal loss because they were of a community built upon relationships of persons who sincerely cared for one another; and would strive to overcome each difficulty together. Sadness and regrets were heartfelt, and responses required the sacrifices of time and effort. They were a much different manner in giving comfort than a simple tweet or emoji. People were not only together, but they were also connected by means of cooperation with one another. One might even go so far as to say there was interdependency between individuals. An interdependency that is much different than what is called codependency. Codependency is an excessive dependency upon another person for making decisions, planning out priorities in a moment-by-moment manner; and an intense preoccupation with what another person feels or does. On the contrary, interdependency, as I perceive it, allows for one to freely make their own decisions independent from another, but also may involve responding to another’s difficulties or needs as they occur…thereby forming interactions of connectedness and cooperation between individuals.
I fully realize that those images of my past childhood are of a by-gone era though. What was, is rarely true any longer. The town only has one church now, and the school that I went to has been torn down in the interests of the efficiencies of consolidation and centralization. Like so many both urban and rural small communities, resources and relationships began to atrophy. No investments were made, no businesses were created, and people moved to large cities to find work like modern day drifters. Now in most cities the closest thing to communities are people who live in cul-de-sacs or who occasionally have block parties.
Some observations from the past:
- People knew one another and one’s family: social interactions, whether of sport events, community homecomings, church or family reunions provided the basis for togetherness, when people could share their personal concerns and worries, their toil and their sufferings; their victories and joys.
- From this togetherness, people developed connections and relationships with one another, which resulted in empathy and cooperation, because everyone had his or her own had difficulties; and consequently, they sensed a responsibility to help one another (Note the dangers of affluence that results in a self-sufficiency which often leads to self-absorption) Empathy and compassion are lost as isolation reigns.
Anthropologists tell us that humankind didn’t always live in communities. Initially, it was composed of hunter-gatherers who lived a nomadic life, moving from area to area, searching for temporary sustenance and shelter. Their days were spent foraging for food sources and finding protection from nature’s threats. It was every man or woman for themselves type of life.
Gradually, individuals banded together to create a group of companions in order to acquire their food sources and provide security in a more efficient way. It was discovered that certain individuals within a tribe were particularly skilled in hunting, while others were more effective in acquiring other sources of food, water, or temporary shelter. A division of labor according to these different abilities gradually developed; and certain roles grew into a set of functions that were mutually beneficial to the group. As such their roles became complementary rather than adversarial.
As this first experiment with community developed, the hunter-gatherer evolved into those who preferred to raise crops and herd cattle as wild animals became domesticated; thereby preferring to occupy an established location in which to live. They became the first “squatters.” This division of responsibility soon required a leadership hierarchy consisting of those who were most respected or powerful holding positions of authority; and becoming responsible for the safety and security of the entire community. Furthermore, the division of responsibility became refined into more specific roles, more suited for a community living in a specific area.
Art and trade between tribes gradually developed, and a measure of wealth was created out of this prosperity. But along with that, came the danger of attack and conquest by others jealous of such possessions and property. So, some measure of defense was soon realized, and weaponry and warrior castes were established as a means of protection.
The essence of community, as it grew out of this anthropological perspective, was that of a relationship between individuals, each with an important specifically designed role that was mutually compatible with the overall safety and security of the group. Each person’s role was complementary to the roles of others, leading to improved functioning and well-being of the overall group as a whole.
An additional benefit that developed out of a sense of community was that of a mutually shared history, where the embodiment of group memory was found to be helpful in the decision-making and well-being of the community. Within the group, memories of prior successes and failures were carried down from one generation to another. People began to understand what worked and what didn’t. Decisions became predicated on those past understandings; and principles of behavior began to evolve into a sense of conduct and morality. Within such an understanding grew an appreciation for the requirement of a certain code of conduct which was beneficial in both individual relationships and in the relationship between individual and tribe. There was no need to reinvent the wheel. The lessons of history were available.
However, this organization of interdependency and mutual purpose was never a static or rigid institution. It experienced dynamics of flow whereby individuals could freely change their roles, aspire to greater purpose, create new modes of conduct and action, and share newly found insights. It is within this rich interaction of relationships that new inspirations, talents, and flourishing gradually found the rich soil in which to progress.
Such an idealistic perspective of the community’s history is admittedly naïve at best. It certainly was not as peaceful as described above. There were arguments, battles, jealousies, hatred, and murderers within communities and between various tribes. Living in community also meant living with those whom you did not like and with those with whom you disagreed. Some would leave of their own choice; others would be driven out.
What are the takeaways? What lessons are apparent in this walk through the past? So, it appears that in addition to a sense of togetherness, there is a sense of cooperation or a connectedness which often creates a measure of interdependency upon one another.
To summarize, it should be clear after what was just discussed, that true or genuine community was based primarily on an interdependency of relationships which served a mutual benefit to both the individual and the group. Without such cooperation, with individuals willing to accept a specific role, the development of varied expressions of meaning and purpose would not have been possible. This interdependency must have been mutually appreciated, and the value of one another’s contributions to the culture thus also affirmed the individuals themselves. Each had a role. Each had a purpose. Each had meaningful work that established personal identity and value. This work ethic can also lead to an acknowledgment and respect from their peers, as individuals contributing to the overall benefit of one another, and to the common good of mutual provision and protection. There was a connection between persons brought forth initially by a sense of togetherness.
A final thought, in addition to those of togetherness and interdependency, is that of social and emotional “bonding” or commitment. One of the oft overlooked or neglected elements of community that is so essential, is the emotional bonding and commitment to one another that occurs between individuals in a true community. People really do care for one another. They invest time and effort to assist, to advise and to encourage one another. And, consequently, out of this bond of close relationships, is created a kind of “safe place” in which one can experience events of forgiveness and understanding within authentic relationships. Here, the everyday experiences of disagreement can be resolved in dialogue and thoughtfulness. In true community, one is not left within the comfort of living within one’s own bubble of acceptance, self-absorption, or self-determination which only leads to loneliness and anxiety. Instead, true community consists of a triad of togetherness, interdependence for the common good, and an emotional bonding of commitment resulting in the well-being of both person and culture.
1 Corinthians 12.12-27
The blending of the ingredients of genuine community: togetherness, interdependency, and commitment can perhaps best be exemplified by a passage of from the Bible in 1st Corinthians, chapter 12. Paul uses the imagery of the human body to express the concept in the church that all members work together and share an interdependency and common commitment to Christ.
18 “But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”
To conclude: A wonderful example of genuine community (togetherness, interdependency and commitment) is found in a recent neighborhood project on the South Side of Chicago.
In 2021, a neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago had a problem. They were being overrun by vermin. Not the same as the small Ohio village had had over a century before, but nonetheless vermin: persons who brought diseases of violence and destruction into the neighborhood. But, here, Pastor Corey B. Brooks of New Beginnings Church had a dream. He would protect the youth from the allure of joining the vermin. Pastor Brooks wanted to offer something better, more affirming and beneficial for the individual kids, as well as the neighborhood in general. He rallied a community out of meaningful relationships… and marshalled local resources to build a community of safety and training for the youth. He named it Project H.O.O.D. As it turns out, through the establishment of personal relationships of mutual concern, companies contributed concrete, glass, construction materials, and financials necessary to build a “community resource center” for the youth of that “hood.” And the “hood” has become a reality: a community offering refuge after-school programs, free medical wellness and fitness clinics, and violence intervention skills. By means of education and mentoring, emphasis is placed upon leadership development, economic opportunity, vocational development, and personal growth. Pastor Brooks showed us that it could be done. He showed us how it could be done. But he also showed that it could not be done overnight. It could only be done together. And he and the community did it. The local community came together to work on solving the local problem.
But Pastor Brooks also showed us that it could only be done through relationships, strong and meaningful relationships, by which a sense of community could be formed… relationships that were necessary in order to build something positive for the individual within genuine community. So, what Pastor Brooks is really doing is building community out of a neighborhood. A genuine community of 1) togetherness, 2) interdependency, and 3) commitment to one another. (projecthood.org)
But to build a true community requires insight and effort in establishing meaningful relationships between one another. What does the concept of community look like today? What type of relationships form what one sees as community in current society? Those questions are to be examined in the next edition of Maugs Musings entitled, “Community – Reality of the Present.”
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[i] ‘Social Media, Social Life: Teens Reveal Their Experiences,’ Common Sense Media, September 10, 2018,
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/social-media-social-life- infographic.
[ii] Lisa Bonos and Emily Guskin, “It’s Not Just You: New Data Shows Half of Young People In America Don’t Have a Romantic Partner,” Washington Post, March 21, 2019, https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2019/03/21/it’s-not-just-you-data-shows-more-than-half-young-people-america-don’t-have-romantic-partner/.