Community

So recently I was talking to Drew about individualism in America, and I think that we both agreed that it has reached an extreme that is unnecessary and frankly dangerous.
We are told from a young age to succeed and to beat out the competition (because after all, the current economy is basically survival of the fittest or at least most prepared). Often we see ourselves as entirely separate entities not dependent on the people around us.
While I think it is extremely importaint to have an individual personality and to work hard, one cannot ignore the impact that others have on us and America's current need for some sort of roots and foundation.
We all need support and we all are completely dependent on other people to survive (electricity, food, medical care, clean water, etc.) and find any meaning in our lives. To ignore that is to ignore what it means to be human...
I think that we need to reconnect to the place we are from, to the people in our areas, and to the local geography.
It seems that our culture is full of doubt, fear, isolation, and suspicion. Why can't we talk to people that we don't know? Why can't we create a connect with people who we have no relavent reason to talk to? Why are we afraid to sit next to someone we do not know if there are few empty seats in a restaurant? Why is it more importaint to excel in a career then to talk to our families, or sit by a river?
Life cannot be purely about individual success and excitement. To me, all that matters is our interactions with others, and how to we show love and compassion to everyone we meet. You know that song "when you realize that love is all that matters after all, it sure makes everything else seem so small"? It is so simple yet so hard to accept! (and I do not mean merely romantic love or the cliche "movie love") I mean finding joy from the happiness of others and creating connections with the people around you.
So in the end it is love and community that create meaning and happiness, and those things cannot be ignored or replaced!