May 12, 2025
Just came across this story by Elle Hunt in The Guardian, which highlights an often overlooked fact: community BUILDING means exactly that – it requires time and sustained effort for a community to truly form and thrive:
“The word ‘community’ has warm, fuzzy connotations. 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.”
https://www.theguardian.com/wellness/2025/feb/05/how-to-build-community
Time and time again, this truth is forgotten – especially with the abundance of (online) community tools that promise instant connection, but often overlook the hard work required to build genuine community.
Of course, we community building professionals know that very well, but amidst the deluge of tools, tech, and systems we face in our daily work, it’s sometimes good to be reminded of the social roots of it all through a simple personal story: getting along with your neighbors!
