Community involvement!

How would you improve your community?

Honestly, my first reaction to today’s prompt was to laugh. Of course, it is a noble aim to work on improving your community. However, this noble aim brought back a mixture of bittersweet memories about my experience of the very topic.

Some people love to be in charge, to organise things, to make online groups, to give speeches, to be in the spotlight, and to have their photo filling the whole frame. That’s the type of people, I came across, and were, in most cases, calling and taking part in improving the community. I do agree that they indeed do good things; online groups, trips, picnics, paquets, forums, etc. The aim is always to build a strong community that would support its members and represent their existence. But, is that the only way to improve the community? Do things really represent that platonic society, that perfect image?

From my experience, these groups with the ‘do-not-think-I-am-your- boss’ attitude, perhaps improve the external of the community, but not its internal construction. In most cases, taking sides, disputes, and conflicts drive some people to walk away and reject the whole community.

Hence, I have come to learn that it’s you, the person, the human being, who can improve the community. A good parent, a good teacher, a good doctor, a good shopkeeper, clerk, nurse, etc we all can make good role models and create a good generation that can benefit the community. Although we haven’t been created to be perfect, and we all have our flaws, we all are born with a living conscious. If only we could raise above our own ego and interests! If only we could respect each other and spread kindness! If only we could be genuine and trustworthy. Wouldn’t that be a better way to improve our community?

With all the best wishes,

Nahla