Just found this great post by Clementine Morrigan that fits into this conversation. She's talking about political organizations but it applies for anything I'd want to be involved in.
Political organizing is not therapy
and political organizing cannot meet your emotional, relational needs.
"The primary purpose of giving critiques and expressing grievances to a political org should be either about ensuring that the org is able to effectively meet its stated goals, or to ensure that everyone involved in organizing is treated with respect to their human rights, personal safety, and dignity.
There’s an acronym common in Al-Anon circles that I think is useful here. Before saying something THINK — is what you are about to say true, helpful, inspiring, necessary and kind?"
as someone pointed out it's true that americans are 'community starved' and that almost definitely, imo, degrades quality of life in all kinds of ways and limits the coping/survival strategies people can even think of pursuing. so i think it's understandable that for many people, the task of finding a 'community' experience is like, the first thing they think of that is missing, the first need to find a way to fill.
i just want to also make reference to the massive number of people i've known who are not community starved, who for whatever reason do have the consistent experience of life 'in a community' and all the interdependence this entails... and this doesn't even scratch the surface of interacting with, let alone healing (?), mental suffering. i always want to point this out whenever people describe 'community' as the main positive takeaway from AA for example or any mutual aid thing.
in my experience, shared life among others, while logistically and probably qualitatively easier on individuals than life in isolation, does not contain the promise of things like safety or neutral/positive mental experiences and especially not 'healing'. i've seen it be very harmful when people get this built up idea of community and what it will mean for them then are crushed to find out what it's actually like. it's understandable though because people are so lonely.
Longing, we are together in the sea
Touching briefly we
Form community
Drift apart, learn from others
What it is, is when
We endeavor to build in Unity
Just found this great post by Clementine Morrigan that fits into this conversation. She's talking about political organizations but it applies for anything I'd want to be involved in.
Political organizing is not therapy
and political organizing cannot meet your emotional, relational needs.
"The primary purpose of giving critiques and expressing grievances to a political org should be either about ensuring that the org is able to effectively meet its stated goals, or to ensure that everyone involved in organizing is treated with respect to their human rights, personal safety, and dignity.
There’s an acronym common in Al-Anon circles that I think is useful here. Before saying something THINK — is what you are about to say true, helpful, inspiring, necessary and kind?"
.https://substack.com/home/post/p-157563821?source=queue
as someone pointed out it's true that americans are 'community starved' and that almost definitely, imo, degrades quality of life in all kinds of ways and limits the coping/survival strategies people can even think of pursuing. so i think it's understandable that for many people, the task of finding a 'community' experience is like, the first thing they think of that is missing, the first need to find a way to fill.
i just want to also make reference to the massive number of people i've known who are not community starved, who for whatever reason do have the consistent experience of life 'in a community' and all the interdependence this entails... and this doesn't even scratch the surface of interacting with, let alone healing (?), mental suffering. i always want to point this out whenever people describe 'community' as the main positive takeaway from AA for example or any mutual aid thing.
in my experience, shared life among others, while logistically and probably qualitatively easier on individuals than life in isolation, does not contain the promise of things like safety or neutral/positive mental experiences and especially not 'healing'. i've seen it be very harmful when people get this built up idea of community and what it will mean for them then are crushed to find out what it's actually like. it's understandable though because people are so lonely.