Community is not a Choice

Being communal is not a choice. Behaving as community is.

Whether we believe it or not, whether we like it or not, everything is connected. The actions of one individual or group always impacts other individuals and groups. Sometimes this is for the good. Often it causes harm.

Reality is a system, and it functions as a system (read Thinking in Systems to learn more about systems). But lived reality isn't mechanistic. It is mutual, and mutuality requires intention. 

Humanity is communal by design. After God created the first human and put him through an orientation of sorts, God created human community by creating the woman. 

So, since humanity is designed as communal, then deciding to be mutual is deciding to be who we are. We choose to care for one another. We choose to keep one another safe. We choose to defer to one another. We choose to share resources with one another. We choose to dialogue with one another about hard things. We choose to be there for one another as protection against future losses.

Deciding to be mutual is deciding to be who we are. It is deciding to seek out commonality, setting aside the fractious tribalism that plagues our cultures. It is deciding to share our stories and hear the stories of others. It is deciding to gather as fellow humans, created in God's image, yet stained by sin and living in a broken world.