The Community Issue

Volume 8 Issue 1, Summer 2008

A lot has been said about “community” over the years, and in your hands you hold the collected thoughts of some of the members of my local community on this perennially popular topic. Perhaps its’ enduring popularity as a point of discussion stems from an obvious source – the fact that each and every one of us is who we are today because of the communities we have encountered along the way. “Who we are” is often measured by what we do, and what we do – and think, feel, say, or express otherwise – may be seen as a matter of personal choice, but in a very real way the options we find available for us to choose from are provided in the vocabulary of, and defined through the frameworks of, our communities.

To think of this truth as a limitation on our range of choice would be a serious mistake, for it is this irreversible and necessary linkage to the communities of our particular time and place which provides us with the unimaginable richness of opportunities that we enjoy. We literally would not be able to conceive of or recognise many of the complex and fascinating facets of our existence if it were not for the ideas and interests shared with us by and through our communities. I think that we should view this powerful and inevitable natural connection to those who share our spaces and our activities as not only an unbelievably fortunate gift, but also an unimaginably inspiring question: if communities craft people, and people craft communities, and people through their communities shape the world of human experience, then what sort of world would you like to find yourself sharing with others? Or, what sort of others would you like to share that world with?

As cliché as it may sound, the power to change the world today truly is within everyone’s hands. The best and only way to cause lasting change is through sharing ideals and values with others into the future through our communal bonds, and the power to shape these communities is shared equally by all of us. The simple act of extending a hand in friendship has the power to make your local community a more welcoming place for someone new, and through so doing you will have made it a more welcoming place for those who have lived there all along. The road runs both ways.

This world is ours to explore, and communities have sprung up wherever we have gone. Find those who share your spirit and you will build a world that reflects that spirit. The possibilities are endless, and the year has just begun. Welcome to our community.

Mark Ciesluk
Editor-in-Chief