Communities are an integral part of our society. As social beings, we humans have a need to belong to a community. We rely on each other not only for basic needs but for a sense of meaning and belonging. Building anything meaningful and long-lasting is a group effort. This is why any problem that a community faces can be solved only through united efforts. And this is where being a responsible community member comes in. If each community member stops seeing themselves as separate but as part of the whole, everyone will benefit from it. These days more than ever, we see the need for strong communities. And what builds a strong community if not each individual acting responsibly to the best of their abilities?We often find ourselves ignorant and careless towards other people’s emotions and feelings in our society. Empathy and understanding need to become our best friends. If we want a world where people in communities are heard and taken seriously, we need to respect one another and be more sympathetic. One can never know what the person right in front of them might be going through. The perspective that we are part of something bigger than ourselves is crucial.
We lack the understanding of a community and what it means to rise above individual needs.
COVID-19 reminded us once more that if we do not show a united front, if we are not responsible, if we do not care about our fellow community members, we will all suffer the consequences. The efforts of an individual or a small group of people mean nothing if the rest of the society does not contribute.
What does it take for an individual to be willing to put in that effort? Research shows that people who feel a strong sense of belonging to their community are more inclined to help and support others. This is what we need in the face of the pandemic.
As much as there are rules in place, we cannot “police” everyone. If each individual has a deep sense of understanding of how their behavior impacts the people around them, they will start taking responsibility.
Particularly when there are clear and known steps of preventing the spread of the virus, such as wearing a mask, social distancing, vaccinating, not exposing yourself to the public with symptoms, in other words, self-isolation.
Learning to appreciate and showing gratitude for the little things in life is the number one step in making change. If we value what we have, nobody can devalue it. If anything, the pandemic and the 2020 Artsakh War taught us that we shouldn’t take anything for granted.
Loss and grief have a way of bringing people together, but unless we learn something from these events, sacrifices and losses will no longer have a valuable meaning. How we define our role in our community and build our values accordingly is what matters.
Learning to listen to each other and putting ourselves in the other person’s shoes can make a lot of difference. Often, all people want is to be heard. If we look close enough, we will find that voice that deserves to be heard. And maybe, once, for just once, we can be that change we want to see in our community.
