You are the source of culture
You can’t duct tape a bagel to a saguaro
Community is about what is created in service of a sacred idea. The force that enables cooperation in a community is called culture. Culture is what is rewarded, but it is not the same as the sacred idea. Community is about the group. Culture is about you.
You are the source of culture.
There is a Reddit community where people post pictures of bread stapled to trees. Bread is defined loosely: you can affix most baked carbohydrates (even gluten-free ones), so long as the fastener is two-pronged and made of metal. That is the sacred idea. This sacred idea comes to life through approved behavior: upvoting, posting content, and following the rules. “No cacti” is one such rule. “Don’t be a crustface” is another.
Creating anything as a collective is tricky (especially when you refuse to leave your house), so your role in culture is critical. You can’t have community without a cost. The cost is everything you do for the community. Culture is labor.
Unlike community, which is inclusive (as long as you accept the sacred idea), culture is by definition non-inclusive. It has to be because it’s a standard of behavior. Community is about getting butts in seats; culture is about keeping the operation moving—and moving in a direction.
Culture will change, and you will face difficult choices. When Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to a church door, it was not in rejection of the sacred idea, but of a culture that had emerged around it. When you are in a community, you define the culture. You (your actions, really) become the standard.
Standards exist to separate the ones who will do the work from the ones who won’t, and to urge the collective energy toward what the community actually needs.
There is tension between culture and community, but they are not in conflict. They are rivals. A community without a compelling culture is an impotent fan club. A culture without a compelling sacred idea is a loyalty program.
The community needs culture. The community needs you.