The value of community in today's America.

The value of community – connecting and belonging

Values in Today’s Society

Author George Packer addresses this in his latest book, “The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America.” He reports on individuals battling both the Great Recession and longer-term social and economic trends and weaves through it his sense that a sense of community and social fabric has been unwinding in America for some time.

Packer said there was an unspoken contract in the country that ran from about the 1930s through the 1970s: People traded some constraints on personal freedom for security and forward social movement, a goal of making sure the next generation would do better than the last.

But now, he says, “many Americans feel they are all alone.” We have all the freedom we want but are left in the darkness to enjoy it.

Virtual connections like Facebook and Twitter provide something of a balm, but Douthat says it is the traditional forms of community that work best: a steady job with a group of stable co-workers; church; volunteer groups. But, he writes, that is tougher than ever in a society that trumpets the individual, the everyone-is-special ethos:

“The problem is that as it’s grown easier to be remarkable and unusual, it’s arguably grown harder to be ordinary. To be the kind of person who doesn’t want to write his life script, or invent her idiosyncratic career path. To enjoy the stability and comfort of inherited obligations and expectations, rather than constantly having to strike out on your own,” Douthat wrote.

For decades, the American focus has been on the individual to the near exclusion of all other values. This has created a more tolerant society, one that is in many ways more vibrant and entrepreneurial. But it has also sparked atomization, a shredded social fabric, self-centered loneliness that is just now being fully understood.

We have a rise in discrimination, abuse of power, greed, etc. What are we leaving behind for our future generations? Maybe it’s time society takes a hard look at its values.

Here are some things we feel our society needs more of:

Empathy – Empathy is defined as understanding and sharing the feelings of another. People need to understand who others are and accept who they are. Focusing on how we can grow together should be our ultimate goal.

Respect – Mutual respect is needed for all of us. This is what makes us human. Having respect for everyone, despite the differences between us, is vital for a society to function well.

Love – Having love in our hearts keeps us from feeling the need to harm others. Love helps us acknowledge the similarities we all share rather than the differences of color, religion, or sexual orientation.

Loyalty – Loyalty is a value that binds us to a person, thing, or sentiment. With loyalty, we do not betray. If we all shared loyalty, it would help us build the strength needed to stand up against something that would harm our society.

Honesty – One form of honesty in society is accepting yourself. With honesty, you can admit your flaws and take the necessary steps to improve yourself. When we can admit to our flaws it can help someone else admit theirs. Ultimately, we can all help each other become better people.

The Value of Community

Values can be contagious; if you practice them, many others will also, including our children. Hopefully, more practice from all of us will leave the world a better place for future generations.

We believe that values can unite us and bring us together. Shared values can heal sick communities and re-energies-tired ones.

World Values Day, for example, is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to expanding the knowledge, awareness, and importance of values worldwide. Values are the things that are important to all of us, the foundation of our lives.

World Values Day gives us all an opportunity to do something positive in our communities. With just one small action, one small change, we can begin to make a difference. As ever, it starts with us.

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