A Part’s Guide To Living in Communities.
Tentative title for the book I’m working on about understanding communities as life forms, of which we are the parts.
The base components of organisms are cells. The base components of communities are people. Both cells and people can specialize to perform a huge variety of roles. The essential major difference as components is that cells play one role while we play multiple roles and can rapidly switch between them. This leads the life forms created with cells and the life forms created with people to be very different beasts, but both life forms nonetheless. Let’s consider how this works.
What are the components of healthy well functioning communities? This is huge question comparable in complexity to the similar question regarding cellular organisms. There are, of course, organized systems (as with cellular organisms) and the identification and understanding of these components is a way to productively work through the complexity of communities. I’ll be investigating these systems in the weeks ahead.
Neoliberalism weakens and sickens communities.
Weak communities are susceptible to the siren song of fascism.
To avoid a descent into fascistic hell we need to reject neoliberalism and build strong healthy communities. Exactly what Joe Biden is trying to do.
Evolving communities create interior milieus that protect and support their parts. All life forms do this, communities are no exception. The more we help our communities know themselves the more they will help us be our best selves.
Our communities need to wake from their unconscious slumber.
It is pleasant being part of a community. I sit in a climate controlled environment while just outside the window the temperature is near freezing. Sanitation workers collect our solid waste. Our liquid waste flows away in pipes and is treated at a local sewage treatment plant. Electricity, gas, digital information and clean water flow through pipes and are immediately available as needed. Mail and products are delivered to our door. Services are available as needed. Sweet!
It’s absolutely essential that our communities come to know themselves as rapidly as possible. How we help make that happen is the great challenge of our time.
Fred Bartels