From: Leonardo Wild <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Thu Jun 24, 2004 12:46:26 AM America/Guayaquil
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: COMMUNITY, what is it?
Hello everybody,
Now, finally, an analysis of community and what it implies:
"COMMUNITY is the creation of an organism —be it through
circumstantial, traditional or intentional circumstances— that allows
individuals to satisfy needs through the establishment of social
structures and social agreements (implicit or explicit) for the
continuity of their common contents, purposes and goals."
In other words, community has three sides to it:
1) Individuals and their need for autonomy,
2) Social structures that imply a social dependancy on these structures,
3) The common need of both the structures and the individuals for
continuity (social structures without individuals cannot continue
existing, and individuals without social structures cannot continue
existing either).
Said differently:
Common Contents, Purposes and Goals unite individuals as well as Social
Structures.
The desire (and need) of continuity makes individuals come together and
form a "community."
1) Circumstantial Communities:
All communities occur due to some circumstance. So all communities are
circumstantial. However, some communities (like neighborhood
communities -of as low as three people-, circles of friendship,
work-space communities) are more circumstantial and shorter lasting, as
well as almost completely dependent on the circumstances of
geographical closeness to remain active. The bonds that unite
individuals in Circumstantial Communities are rarely very strong and
the contents, purposes and goals are momentary and subject to
contextual needs.
2) Traditional Communities:
Tradition can create stronger bonds that go beyond the mere
circumstance. Such communities, like Native Indian communities, are
very cohesive and changes to the social structures usually mean the
disruption of the community. Individuals living within these
communities are bound to the social structure and social agreements
they were born into (they don't have much choice but to respect the
tradition). These social agreements (mostly implicit) give little
chance for the individual to find an autonomy, especially culturally
speaking. The uniformity of the individual's cultural make-up can at
times even be seen outwardly in a common style of dress, hair-do,
jewelry, types of music, types of food, and so forth.
3) Intentional Communities:
Intentional communities occur when individuals decide, explicitly, to
create a social structure to which those who want to participate in
must adhere to. Usually, what unites individuals are common contents,
purposes and goals that were mostly explicitly stated. The reason for
creating intentional communities vary, but always at the core of it is
a common need that must be met, even if just the need to share common
ideals or common interests. Thus, discussion groups like internet
forums are "intentional communities" where the "bond" is created by the
common need to discuss a given topic or range of topics. Off-topic
discussions, in some are considered non-welcome and someone can even be
banned from the "group" if the behavior goes against the agreed-upon
subject matter. Similarly, intentional geographic communities (bound by
territory) are formed around certain needs and only if those needs are
met can the community continue existing. Eco-villages are a form of
intentional community where the common contents, purposes and goals
turn around the need to live a "more ecological life."
Let's take a look now at the various aspects of individual autonomy and
needs, social dependancies that derive in social structures, and the
common goal of continuity.
First of all, we have the three sides of that make 1) Continuity
possible:
1.1) Content
1.2) Purpose
1.3) Goal
This is a long subject matter, so for the time being I will leave these
three without further definition, hoping that they are more or less
self-explanatory. If anyone wishes for me to expand on this, I can
surely do so. For now, let's go on to the other two aspects of what
makes a community be what it is: 2) Individual needs and 3) Social
Structures, which I believe are perhaps of more interest to this group.
2) Individual Needs:
2.1) Material needs:
Individual needs exist automatically the moment a person exists. If
some needs aren't met, the outcome is death. Mostly these needs are of
material nature, such as food, shelter, clothing, etc., the degree by
which a given thing is needed for survival depending on the local
context. So, an individual living in the Amazon jungle will not need as
much to survive as the individual living in Siberia, at least not in
terms of clothing and shelter. Food and water are also of "existential
value" (that is, without it an individual cannot subsist) but the
degree of difficulty will depend on locality and local circumstances.
Material need can also be the need for a partner in order to preserve
the continuity of the genetic pool of humanity. A single individual
will not be able to fulfill this material need of continuity of the
human species. But this is usually coupled with emotional needs as well.
2.2) Emotional needs:
All individuals have emotional needs. The younger the individual (a
baby) will not survive without an emotional contact with another
individual. Thus, at this age, emotional needs are of "existential
value." The older one becomes, the less emotional needs become a matter
of pure survival (of the individual). The emotional need becomes of
"subjective value", totally dependent on a given individual's make up.
Some may not survive without an emotional attachment, others will but
might feel rather unhappy, others might not have such a great need in
this regard and can even go on living as Robinson Crusoes. However,
from a position of biological health, human beings are of social nature
and this implies the need to satisfy emotional needs, from the pure
affectional to the biological, which is the need to preserve the
continuity of the human species. Thus, another aspect that drives human
beings to create social structures is the inherent make-up of homo
sapiens being a "social entity" and emotions are but one more aspect.
2.3) "Intellectual" needs:
Every human being has an intellect which derives in "interests" on
whatever subject. Intellectual needs also imply the need to learn how
to survive. If certain tricks are not learned, survival might not just
become hard but impossible. Thus, intellectual needs are closely
related to learning. Some learning implies the acquisition of knowledge
that allows an individual to survive, while other learning implies the
acquisition of knowledge and understanding in order to evolve and grow
"intellectually." For some, finding "what's one's own talent" is
tantamount to finding "happiness," and emotion that is closely linked
to well-being and health. Passing on the "tricks of the trade" of
survival and growth is an inherent part of survival of the species.
Knowledge and maybe even understanding, hopefully wisdom, allows
individuals to continue existing and help those around them and those
that will follow in time to continue existing. Thus, without this
aspect of individual needs, the individual and the human community will
have a hard time ensuring continuation.
All these needs (material, emotional and intellectual) are in fact part
of a whole. Individuals cannot exist without the material realm, and
they will certainly not be healthy without the emotional and
intellectual realm. "Fullness of being" an individual will depend on
the existence of all three sides having the needs of each side met or,
in the long run, there is no continuity possible, at least not for a
life-time and certainly not for the species.
Therefore, human beings have created, implicitly and/or explicitly,
"Social Structures" and Social Agreements that enable the individual to
satisfy the individual's needs.
3) Social Structures:
Except on very special and rare occasions, individuals are dependent on
Social Structures for survival and growth and, in the end, for their
continuation as individuals and as a species.
There are three basic types of social structures:
3.1) Social Structures of Continuity,
3.2) Social Structures of Change,
3.3) Social Structures of Cohesion.
3.1) Social Structures of Continuity:
Are those that allow for the "continuity of the content, purposes and
goals" of a group (community) of individuals. Without social structures
of continuity, the continuation of what keeps individuals together
ceases to exist. There are three types of Social Structures of
Continuity:
3.1.1) Social Structure of Continuity–Religion:
"Religion is the creation of a structure based on a system of beliefs
and/or convictions that interpret reality." The actions of a community
will depend on what they believe or are convinced of as being
"reality." Any system of beliefs or convictions that claims to explain
a given reality (be it physical, metaphysical or spiritual) is,
ultimately, a religion. The content, purpose and goal of a religion
will define what kind of a religion it's supposed to be in theory
(physical materialistic goals, metaphysical goals, spiritual goals),
for in practice it will depend on how it interacts will all the other
Social Structures.
3.1.2) Social Structure of Continuity–Politics:
"Politics is the creation of a system of guidelines for the behavior of
organisms within a structure."
These guidelines are necessary for the continuation of the agreements
to which the organisms must adhere to in order to maintain a social
structure. If each organism (be it an individual, a family, a
community, a company, a nation, etc,) does not follow the guidelines of
agreed-upon behavior, the social fabric collapses. (The problem is that
many of the "agreements" by which we live today are by "coercion" and
based power structures that we cannot control or find hard to change.)
3.1.3) Social Structure of Continuity–Economy:
"Economy is the creation of a structure that allows organisms —be these
individuals, families, communities, companies, geo-political entities—
to acquire for their survival and evolution what they themselves cannot
produce." In other words, without a structure where each organism can
fulfill its needs, there is no continuity possible.
The upshot is that all three structures of social continuity are in
fact intimately linked, for the actions that will be considered "good"
of "bad" will depend on the view of reality (religion), which will
define what guidelines of behavior exist or are implemented (politics),
which will also have an influence on how organisms are organized to
fulfill their needs, and how they will acquire what they themselves
cannot produce (economy).
3.2) Social Structures of Change:
The second type of social structure (of change) is made up of three
elements, but as we will quickly see, in today's society there is no
real representation of either of the three or, if they exist, they are
subservient and dependent on a final decision "from above" from any of
the other structures of Continuity and Cohesion. Structures of change
cannot be based on a vertical hierarchy (order), for that would defy
their purpose. Also, structures of change should not be of horizontal
hierarchy (chaos) because that would lead to anarchism. In fact, any
attempt to create a cohesive structure of questioning or challenging
the beliefs of any of the other structures has been met with resistance
and systematic disruption. In the past, some kings, understanding the
importance of challenge of the status quo or the habitual beliefs,
hired buffoons. Humor is a door into creativity and a lubricant for the
discarding of our preconceptions. Social structures of change should be
chaordic in nature, based on a "functional hierarchy" like the organs
in a body, where each does its job but is not subservient to either too
much order or too much chaos.
I have named these three structures in the following way:
3.2) Social Structures of Change:
3.2.1) Questioning and/or Challenging:
3.2.2) Discarding
3.2.3) Creation and development
Since change is continually necessary for the continuity of any social
structure or organism, the way "change" occurs in today's world has
taken on a violent form, or follows disrespectful paths. Thus,
challenging a structure of power (Bush vs. Saddam Hussein, Communism
vs. Capitalism, son vs. father, employees vs. employers), is usually
carried out in a semi-socialized way, if not in a barbaric way.
Discarding is taken over by destruction, and "creation and development"
is a return to the old ways and contents, purposes and goals, with a
new name or outward facelift. This can be a whole topic of study in
itself, though not to be continued right here and now.
The third type of Social Structures, those of Cohesion has the
following qualities:
Cohesion unlike continuity, has a different quality. Cohesion means how
things can be kept together so they don't fall apart. Continuity has
the function to make what exists, continue. Cohesion means to find ways
of putting together something that doesn't quite exist or that is still
in the stage of growth. Without a structure that enables healthy
change, cohesion and continuity are subject to social inbreeding with
similar results as with biological inbreeding. Cohesion and Continuity
go hand in hand, but should be challenged by Change. But so as not to
elaborate too much on this point:
3.3) Social Structures of Cohesion:
3.3.1) Social Structure of Cohesion—Health:
"Health is the chaordic co-existence of autopoietic (self-made,
self-regulating) organisms in balance with themselves and their
environment." In other words, Health is a social structure that deals
with the aspects of how organisms can co-exist in balance with
themselves and their environment. How do we know how that happens? It's
through Education:
3.3.2) Social Structure of Cohesion—Education:
"Education is the acquisition and understanding of knowledge and
experiences on the part of organisms, and the transmittance of these
from individuals to individuals and from generation to generation." In
other words, it is through a social structure of education that we can
understand what is healthy and how continuation is possible. Education,
in this sense, isn't only formal, but also informal: the way in which
individuals find out things that will serve them, hopefully, to survive
and evolve and to avoid the pitfalls committed by others. Education is
about information and experience. Anytime when information can be taken
in and where experiences can be acquired education is happening. What
is the media doing? What are the goals of the "information age"
machine? What experiences are we exposed to? All this is education. The
present structure, however, isn't really taking in to consideration
what is healthy, but what is economically "sound" according to a given
type of economic structure: market economy. With the rules of the game
being defined by money and where money flows to. thus we have come full
circle and we can, once again, ask what our third type of economic
structure of continuity/cohesion is doing.
.3.1) Social Structure of Cohesion—Economy:
"Economy is the creation of a structure that allows organisms —be these
individuals, families, communities, companies, geo-political entities—
to acquire for their survival and evolution what they themselves cannot
produce." In other words, without a structure where each organism can
fulfill its needs, there is no continuity possible. Which, in our
present-day scenario, seems to be case: continuation impossible due to
an unhealthy growth pattern of a system based on exponential and
unlimited growth subservient to a limited system (the biosphere).
To close off, each community must take into consideration the above
mentioned structures as a whole or else there is something missing that
will not allow the community to either find a) cohesion, b) a way to
continue existing and c) enough capacity to change so as to continue.
In other words, if a community takes into consideration only the
economic aspects and forgets what is healthy and how to educate, then
little continuity is possible, much less a cohesion that will enable
its individual members to really fulfill their needs. If a community
takes into consideration aspects of health (say, an ecovillage)
forgetting to take into consideration the economic aspect, little
cohesion and few chances of continuity exist. If a community decides to
use a system of beliefs that takes away the autonomy of its
individuals, little chances it has for a healthy cohesion and
continuation. If a community decides to present guidelines of behavior
that doesn't take into consideration the foundations of how life is
structures (chaordically, autopoietically), little chance exists of
cohesion and continuity.
In short, the c in cc representing community needs a closer look at and
a bit more consideration. Or else, cohesion and continuity of the
Structure of Change we are proposing, which tries to challenge and
discard and create new options for the healthy survival of individuals
and social organisms, will have little chance of making a difference
that is cohesive and able to continue.
Unless everything else has collapsed and there is nothing left but
return to double coincidence and feudal or chaotic social structures.
Saludos,
Leonardo Wild
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