The Art of Community: Seven Principles for Belonging

A community is a group of individuals who share mutual concern for each other’s welfare. When we form a community that grows friendship, we create what we seek, friends who care about the welfare of one another.

The shadow side of personal maximization is that it’s still a fundamentally selfish orientation. As soon as I think that cooperation doesn’t specifically benefit me, I’ll stop. This means that when things get tough or even unsure, cooperation is fragile. Most of us like to work with someone through hard times, hard conversations, and hard decisions

To grow a tight community, it’s essential to articulate the community’s core values clearly, at least for yourself. Not every value needs to be articulated, just the most important ones: those that tie the community’s members together.

The research indicates that Americans today are seeking connection with others who share their values. But they’re not involved in communities that typically provide deep ongoing connection, membership, and life-honoring rituals. Best-selling author and marketing guru Seth Godin writes that people today want connection more than material things. He

His research indicates that “meaningfulness” involves understanding our own lives beyond the present time and place.

An exploration zone is important for visitors. This is how we protect insiders while giving outsiders a chance to participate, to learn more about our community, and to decide whether it’s right for them. We can encourage explorers by sharing some specified activities and areas, but not all. These are outer ring activities. Areas reserved for insid

Because members share values, the community helps answer three important questions for members in some way: Who am I? How should I act? What do I believe?

An initiation is a kind of ritual, and the best rituals come with symbols and tokens. Developing a ritual that’s right for your formal or informal community can make a profound difference in how welcomed a new member feels.

You’ll have to choose when and what you can offer as tokens to help others remember their belonging, accomplishments, and commitments. Anything can be a token. Pins, scarves, medals, flags, and certificates are commonly used. Even a small rock can make a perfectly good token if presented in a sacred way. The tokens for your community should represe

To use the power of tokens we can use a few simple principles. Intention: Tell the receiver why you’re giving it to her. Symbolism: Tell her what it represents to you.