Community is about what is created
You are making something holy
A group describes individuals sharing a characteristic: Sommeliers. Asthmatics. Thirty-seven-year-olds. Groups and communities are not the same thing. Community requires a sincere belief in a sacred idea and the willingness to create something in support of it, collectively.
The sacred idea need not be noble or particularly interesting—it’s whatever the group treats as worthy of devotion, attention, and protection. Sacred is the noun; the related verb is sacrifice, which means “to make holy.”
A belief in God and the afterlife
A belief that Queen is the greatest rock band ever
A belief that the Toronto Maple Leafs may one day win the Stanley Cup (😭)
A belief in the beauty of bread stapled to trees
Communities are inclusive, so long as you believe in the sacred idea. Communities begin by lowering boundaries. You forget yourself as an individual and surrender to the binding thread that all of you share.
Belief is only the seed, of course. Community happens when a sacred idea is ✨manifested✨ into something the members can return to, contribute to, and share. Community is about what is created.
So you establish communication, roles, rituals, and gathering places to help you build. Forums, jargon, councils, hierarchy, leadership, mascots, feasts, anthems, festivals, temples, and markets are artifacts of community.
Next time you’re at a concert for your favorite band, try to feel the vibes. You are creating something with a community. You are making something holy.