Summer is fast approaching! After months of experiencing life through the lens of a pandemic, we can finally begin to emerge from our small protective social bubbles and re-connect with our larger thriving community. We can almost hear a collective sigh of relief and joyous anticipation, for we thrive in connection with others. We are meant to be in relationship to one another. Connection fosters meaning and purpose in life. Communities are born of and nurtured through connection, and we come to trust ourselves and others through our relationships in community.
Thriving communities are connected communities. These communities begin within each of us and are built one person at a time, one experience at a time. Together they make for strong and resilient communities that can withstand challenges that may arise.
What Constitutes A Thriving Community?
What are the primary hallmarks of strong communities? The following core characteristics are commonly found in healthy, balanced, and thriving communities where individuals and groups connected to the community benefit through their participation in and engagement with the community at large.
Core Characteristics of a Thriving Community
Connection and Community
People feel connected through shared values and goals that serve as a firm foundation for the community. These connections within a thriving community foster a deep sense of belonging and meaning for the members.
Wholeness and Integration
In a thriving community, the community is seen and celebrated as an integrated whole, made up of individuals who themselves are connected with their inner truth and who are in holistic relationships with others in the community. The individuals and their relationships are beautiful threads in the rich and colorful tapestry of the community.
See Eve’s book Wholly Connected.
Action, Expansion, Engagement
Living and working together toward shared goals inspires actions that serve the greater good. Inspired action expands opportunities for all members to become engaged in meaningful activities that enrich the lives of all.
Truth and Alignment
The strong bonds of community are based in honesty and integrity that foster a sense of trust among the members. People in the community live in alignment with their own inner truth. Participants are clear about unique personal values that guide their interactions with others.
Nature and Natural Systems
In a thriving community, people live in harmony with nature and honor the interconnectedness of all of creation. They see themselves as part of nature, not separate from it. They hold nature as sacred and revered. Their actions serve to protect and preserve the natural environment for future generations.
Peace and Compassion
People in the community live peaceful, harmonious lives and enjoy the fullness that life in the community offers. Peace begins within. Compassion for others expands as each person re-connects with their inner truth of peace and harmony.
Sustainability
Community members are grateful for the abundance they enjoy. They make thoughtful choices about what they consume and how they spend their time and resources. They honor the earth and tread lightly upon it, using resources wisely and responsibly so that future generations may thrive.
Inclusivity
Every member is a valued contributor to a thriving community. People’s differences are valued and respected, and this diversity enriches the community rather than divides it.
As we begin to re-connect over the coming summer months, may we have a renewed and deeper appreciation for the thriving community to which we belong…and may our communities become stronger and thrive through our conscious participation and engagement!
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