Factor in lower religious affiliation, falling social trust and the time-honoured (though possibly declining) trend of moving every few years, and community is indeed in danger of becoming a fabled good, Vogl says.
In August 2016, when Charles Vogl’s book The Art of Community was first published, people heard the title “and thought I was talking about singing Kumbaya around the campfire”, he says.
Vogl outlined “seven principles for belonging” in his book, developed during his time volunteering at a homeless shelter in Santa Ana, California, and in the Peace Corps in Zambia; labour organising in New York; and studying faith traditions at Yale University, among other roles at other organisations.
We may say community is the future, the cure for what’s ailing us about modern life and, as Murthy put it, “the irreplaceable foundation for our well-being” – but are we prepared for the challenges of creating it?.
But a siloed, individualistic culture also makes it harder to establish and maintain community; creating a shared identity and spirit of reciprocity takes effort and is not always comfortable.
