On being Community-minded - RBCVOL. 51, No. 11 HEAD OFFICE: MONTREAL, NOVEMBER 1970 On being Community-minded COMMUNITY IS THE REALM within which the life of an individual is realized.

VOL. 51, No. 11 HEAD OFFICE: MONTREAL, NOVEMBER 1970

On being Community-minded

COMMUNITY IS THE REALM within which the life of anindividual is realized. We are nonentities at birth,and we only become persons when we acquire statusin a group and a conception of our place among ourassociates.

The good community is one which provides anenvironment permitting and encouraging and makingit possible for the individuals composing it to grow tofull maturity, and one which puts to use for socialbetterment the maturity available in its ranks.

St. Augustine’s definition is brief and compre-hensive: a group, large or small, of people united byagreement as to the things they love. Such a groupwill set up standards to be aimed at, choose leadersto give point to its actions, debate plans, collaborate,co-operate and participate.

One great benefit in belonging to a community isthat we are not alone. From the beginning of life thehuman being seeks to belong, to be enfolded, accepted,made a member of. Though a man were so self-centred as to seek only his own good, he must admitnevertheless that the interests of the community arehis own interests.

Even Henry David Thoreau, sometimes extolled asan example of a man living alone, needed help. Aneighbour loaned Thoreau an axe with which to cuttrees for the house he built on another man’s land;some loaned him tools to mortice and tenon the logs;others helped him to raise the frame; another gavehim seed corn for his first planting; he "dined outoccasionally" with his neighbours.

What is a community ?

A community may be briefly defined as a societyin which the ideal life of all its members is promotedas efficiently as possible. It is a way of life, not merelyhouses, stores and streets. Its people enjoy feelingsof security, pride, self-respect and hope. It hasmany different interests: spiritual, cultural, political,business, industrial, educational and social. It mayhave a number of problems, like shabby housing,inadequate street lighting, overcrowded schools and

hospitals, and low health standards, but the goodcommunity is correcting these through re-development,conservation, industrial expansion, rising standards ofliving, racial harmony, and ever-widening ideals ofwhat may be. It takes the wants and aspirations ofits people and writes them in terms of action.

What is needed to build a community of this sort?People must be eager and willing to work co-op-eratively toward solving their common problems; theymust make use of the potential resources existing inthe community; and they must learn together how touse these resources to their greatest advantage.

Being community-minded is not a folksy experiment.It is mature collaboration with like-minded peoplewho are determined to lead happy social lives.

There is no fact in life more definite than this:man is a gregarious animal, dependent for life andwell-being upon mingling with others of his kind. Thisneed is met in various ways, in the family, in theapartment building, in the street of adjoining houses.In a small way, the community spirit is displayed bythe children who do not care who is marble cham-pion of the world but are excitedly interested inwho is the best marble shooter on the block.

There is real personal meaning to be found incommunity activities like meetings that get thingsdone or provide information, sports or crafts groupsthat provide an outlet for skills, study programmesthat enlarge minds and broaden horizons, and specialevents that help people to know their neighboursbetter. In a community you learn the fun of living anormal self-expressing life, and you do not feel theneed for jet-set jollities.

A sense of progress

A healthy community does not remain static.Changes in environmental conditions, changes inaspirations, and changes in the people making up thecommunity require modification of plans and some-times change of objectives. "One of the things thatyou learn from history," said Frank Underhill inValues in Conflict, "is that every generation of men

is always going through a period of painful, critical,and destructive transition." The art of communityliving is to maintain a basic code and to be fearless inrevising it so as to serve enlightened reason.

People who are wholly absorbed in maintaining astatus they believe is necessary to their lives do notcontribute meaningfully to community living. Theyare, like hens, too busy observing the pecking order inwhich each bird is pecked by those above her andpecks those below.

Social status in a community is a crude measureby which to judge the worth of citizens, and no oneshould be distressed by its shallow appraisals. Werecall the advice of Epictetus: "Is anyone preferredbefore you at an entertainment, or in confidentialintercourse? If these things are good, you ought torejoice that he has them; and if they are evil, do notbe grieved that you have them not."

To belong to any class, to move in any rank of life,is not a very exclusive distinction or test of refinement.It is well if a man can enhance his reputation by thesplendour of his house, but the master ought to bringhonour to his fine house, and not the fine house tobring honour to its master. Ideally, the communitywill judge a person on his individual accomplishments,his demonstration of responsibility, and his personalworth.

Enterprise is needed to build and preserve the com-munity in which people can realize their highest ambi-tions. The quiet, stable pattern of the small communityhas been severely shaken by the increase in mobilityand the expansion in communication. The back-and-forth tide of hundreds of thousands of persons to workmakes people discontented with the emptiness of lifeaboard commuter trains and buses and in crowdedstreets and buildings. But in his community a manleaves the anonymity of the city and becomes a person,intimately associated with his neighbours and keenlysensible of his dignity and worth.

Community problemsThere are some disruptive problems that interfere

with good community living. Many of these have notyet made themselves felt in Canada, because ourcitizens realize that the Canadian people have comefrom many different lands, and that the future ofCanada as a good place to live depends upon all ofthem working together.

People who are making the most of communityliving will have respect for human personality un-prejudiced by qualities of race, colour, class, creed ornational origin. The same yearning is expressed in thefolk and patriotic songs of all the more than thirtyethnic groups represented in Canada’s population: forpeace and for better living. The words and music maydiffer, but the longing for personal fulfilment and thedesire for rewarding association with neighbours runthrough them all. Every one has something to con-tribute to the enjoyment and cultural development ofall.

Why should not every community have flags of allthe nations from which its residents come, to fly at themunicipal hall on anniversary days? This would rec-ognize the diversity of the contribution made by allcitizens, Canadians now, but with varied backgrounds.

Social control

It is not sufficient that the members of the commu-nity be conscientious in seeking to do what is right:there must be rules clearly defined and well observed.The exhortation "Love thy neighbour as thyself" is sobroad, and is apt to seem so vague, that it has to besupplemented, for practical daily living, by more par-ticular rules of conduct. If certain laws were notspelled out and enforced, society would soon revert tothe jungle and anarchy.

The essence and foundation of the community isthe fact that every member voluntarily renounces hisfreedom in certain directions in return for the ad-vantages which he expects from association with theother members of his community. He joins with hisneighbours in appointing judges, policemen, andothers as if to say: "When I am difficult, please kickme into line."

Laws are necessary so that people can live and workin reasonable harmony and gain the benefits of co-operative action. Citizens have rights, but every rightbrings an obligation with it. This is true not only inthe obvious sense that when one man has a right othermen are under an obligation to respect it, but also inthe more subtle sense that when a man has a right he isthereby laid under obligation to employ it for the gen-eral good.

In a paper entitled "Defiance of Law", Leonard E.Read, President of the Foundation for EconomicEducation, New York, has this to say" "Man is asocial as well as an individualistic being. An agency,representing the social side of man -- government --is, to my way of thinking, an absolute necessity. It isunthinkable that the social phase of human beingscan be attended to by each individual acting as hisown gun-toting constable, each a law unto himself,nothing over and beyond personal caprice .... I havebeen cast into a dual role, an individual within society,be that society good, bad, or indifferent. And its prob-lems are no less mine that anyone else’s. To run awayfrom social responsibility is as devolutionary as torenounce self-responsibility."

Community institutions

Social control is exercised by numerous agencieswhose chief object is other than to regulate societygenerally. They help to fashion ideas on social mattersand to mould the lives of people according to patternsthat are generally approved. In this list we find families,churches, lodges, clubs, and countless others. Theseinstitutions furnish the individual with a routine oflife, patterns of expected behaviour by which he will

be judged, and objectives and ambitions toward whichhe may strive.

Members are usually attracted to an institutionbecause its stated objectives have meaning for them.Any institution will function effectively only in so far asit provides the possibility of participation by individualmembers and the possibility that they may experiencesome satisfying consequences of their own actionthrough group participation.

The institution of the family has undergone changein recent years as more and more of its functions havebeen taken over by groups outside the home, and thediversity of interests increasingly available leadsparents and children in different directions. Yet thefamily unit still provides the opportunity for sharinga wide variety of experiences and for developing thediscernment of values and the sagacity that childrenneed as they widen and diversify their contacts in thecommunity.

Our religious institutions are powerful forces fordeveloping goodwill in the troubled world. All thegreat faiths teach the dignity of the human soul andset up ideals which profoundly influence people andhelp them to practise the simple virtues. Their beliefsand their emphasis upon trust, hope and love arestrong assets toward the development of good citizen-ship.

In addition to law and the institutions we haveconvention and custom to make life comfortable. Theeffective functioning of a community depends uponthe presence of patterns for reciprocal behaviourbetween individuals and groups. Good Canadianismincludes the practice of the simple courtesies, thosesocial amenities which make life run more pleasantly;those niceties which enable us to show respect, def-erence, appreciation and goodwill.

Conventions are traditional generalities concerningright, wrong, duties, privileges and taboos handeddown in society as an aid to living comfortably to-gether. There is a fable about certain porcupines whohuddled together for warmth on a cold day, but asthey began to prick one another with their quills theywere obliged to disperse. The cold drove them to-gether again, when just the same thing happened. Atlast, they discovered that they would be best off byremaining at a little distance from one another. Inhuman society, those who transgress the code of po-liteness and fine manners are told to "keep theirdistance."

About participation

One of the finest experiences in living is likingpeople and wanting to share actively with them in thehuman enterprise. When we worship with others, orfeel compassion for others; when we meet to enjoymusic; when we join with neighbours to reason thingsout, to pursue ideas, to help the weak, to honour thenoble, to co-operate in building a better world, ourbehaviour is worthy of our status as human beings.

The most useful community activities are thosewhich keep individuals in the stream of life. Thisstimulates continual learning, so that the accumulatedwisdom of advancing years will be strengthened by agrowth in concepts suited to changing social, economicand political conditions. It is the horror of emptiness,of lack of purpose, far more than any economicprivation or political injustice, that drives people toseek revolutionary change.

One way to pool the experience and thinking ofcitizens is to gather them together to explore possi-bilities and discuss plans. Those who participate andmake suggestions will feel a responsibility to ensureappropriate action. But the proposed programme musthave a purpose clearly stated and understood. Onlypeople who feel involved will give up their favouritetelevision programmes to attend a meeting.

To be effective, a community-building meeting mustmake sure that it gives justice and courtesy to all whoparticipate. It must show willingness to consider thepoint of view of minorities while having respect forthe decisions of the majority. To discuss a thing meansmore than just talking about it. It means to examineit in detail, to debate, to sift. Tossing an idea aroundin group discussion helps to formulate it clearly, sothat the group can decide with some assurance whetherthis is a solid project for the community, whether itcan be handled at this time, whether the citizens candeal with it or should refer it to some authority, andwhat its priority is.

Every project needs a leader, and everyone in thecommunity has a practical stake of the most concretekind in whatever leadership exists. Ideas about leader-ship have become blurred because so many peopleinsist on accepting the superficial signs of leadershiprather than the proved evidence of ability. They takethe pompous manner, the blustering voice, or otherplatform trappings, as evidence that the possessor ofthese characteristics has the more basic requirementsalso. Competent leadership raises group thinking to alevel above the average. Its true function is to bringout people’s best thought and effort, and to unitetheir activities in a common purpose.

Co-operation

To accomplish anything worthwhile, people mustwork together with similar principles and objectives.Marcus Aurelius, the philosopher-king, wrote: "Weare made for co-operation, like feet, like hands, likeeyelids." True co-operation is such harmony as makesall the particular parts, different as they may seem tous, to concur in the general welfare of the community.

Discussion and planning lead to action. Man’smission is to live with all the ardour of which he iscapable.

Action is expressed along many lines. It may fosterand aid movements which aim at enhancing culture;it may stimulate a genuine spirit of democracy andtolerance; it may give to youth the hope and confidence

in life that have been shaken by the present worlddisorganization; it may restore the sense of belongingto people who live in an age of specialization andconsequent isolation.

At the heart of the small community are the manyvoluntary organizations which devote themselves toservice. Their members are inspired by the maxim thatlife means contribution. They believe, with Dr. WilliamW. Mayo, that a man with unusual physical strengthor unusual intellectual capacity or special skill owessomething to the people. He should put at his neigh-bours’ disposal the fruits of his knowledge, the resultsof his studying, his talent and his skill.

In a large society many people are going to gethurt through no special fault of their own, and it is aduty, not a charity, for the more fortunate to do whatthey can to help. There is something valid in noblesseoblige--"my position demands it of me". Noworthy citizens wish it to be asked of them accusinglyin the words of the prophet Jeremiah, "Is it nothing toyou, all ye that pass by ?"

The good citizen

Membership in a community involves a measure ofcommitment. We can never escape from our role asmembers of the human race, not even by pleadinghelplessness; not by saying that nothing we can dowill make any difference; not by pleading that ourmoral responsibilities are limited because after all weare only the evolutionary culmination of a line ofapes that chanced to descend from the trees; not bymoping in our private corner as Homer tells us in theIliad that Achilles did, sulking in his tent until a battlewas nearly lost and his friend had been killed.

If the risks of becoming involved in action for thecommunity welfare are great, so are the rewards, forit is one of the basic facts of human life that the un-given self is the unfulfilled self.

The good citizen will get to know his neighbours andtake part with them in the life of the community;while aiding and supporting the religious institutionof his choice, he will give people of another religionthe same consideration as he expects; he will haveself-respect, and will live in such a way as to enjoythe respect of other people; he will get to know theimportant problems that face his representatives inmunicipal, provincial and federal governments, anduse this knowledge when he goes to vote; he will tryto make his home a credit to the neighbourhood.

Citizen knowledge, interest, and action are the life-blood of our democratic society. A well-informed cit-izen will not be misled into supporting shoddy causes;he will avoid the credulity and short-sightedness ofmob thinking which are the beginning of mania, panic,fanaticism, delusion and violence.

Those in authority in the community and its institu-tions owe it to the citizen to provide him with in-formation about their purposes and plans. It might befeasible to transplant the Ombudsman idea to the

Postage paid in cash at third class rate.Permit No. 10005 in bulk-en nombre.

community by setting up a central service providinginformation about where to apply for help in solvingproblems, coping with crises and starting somethingdesigned to improve the community.

The schools could be made centres of intellectualstimulation. Adult education should be one of thechief interests of every community. It will enlarge thethinking ability and the capacity for rational actionof citizens. It will give them a realistic understandingof what the Canadian way of life is and how it can belived in such a way as to yield the greatest benefits.

A citizens’ council has been found by many com-munities to be an effective instrument to provide away for citizens to participate in the shaping of com-munity life, to promote co-operation among organi-zations and institutions, to enable the entire communityto marshal all of its forces toward confronting andsolving problems, to interest, develop and preparecitizens to take their place as community leaders, andto provide the machinery through which people canspeak out for constructive change.

The good community

The good community is more than the sum of itsmembers. It can be the author of ideas that the samepeople acting alone would never think of. Membersof the good community develop sympathies with oneanother. They weave together many small threads ofinterest in a fabric of relations which tends towardthe ideal life for everyone.

Here are some points by which to judge whether acommunity is fulfilling its function with respect to theindividuals in it. If it is failing in any, that gives thegood citizen an opportunity to initiate a movementtoward improvement. The community structure shouldprovide: the possibility for personal development;the certainty of a reliable environment, free fromanxiety and menace; the opportunity for a citizen toextend the range of his experience through co-opera-tive effort directed toward the better life; and the as-surance of the respect and affection of neighbours.

There is no doubt concerning the trend towarddisintegration of modern society. It is assailed on oneside by all sorts of ideological propaganda, while onthe other it is unsure of itself, vague about its goalsand uncertain about how to go about remedying thesituation.

As the atomic scientists have told us, it must be oneworld or none. It must be a peaceful world withpeople helping one another or it will eventually ceaseto be a decent place in which to live.

The world community is the sum of all its smallcommunities, and it cannot be created unless we con-serve the values of the intimate neighbourhood.

These values include the affection that comes onlywith the intimacy of working together in a goodpurpose, the appreciation of personality, the suprem-acy of i ntegri ty, and the sense of interdependence.

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