What is the relationship of the individual to the community?

How can an individual maintain integrity and pursue personal dreams while contributing to the overall society? This is the central question facing every community. In the United States, we pride ourselves on rugged individualism and the pioneering spirit; at the same time, we believe in collective values. In other parts of the world, people perceive the balance of the individual and the community differently, but the history and literature of most societies depict the struggle of the individual to live life in good faith or conscience while being part of a community.

In the twenty-first century, the speed of our lives and an increasingly global perspective are redefining what a community is. The word community itself is changing, coming to mean a group of like-minded people sharing common interests, when in the past it referred to a group of people of various skills and interests cooperating with one another in order to survive. Geography and uniformity, once the main criteria of a community, now bow to technology and diversity, which today underlie the definition of ethnic communities, the intelligence community, or online communities, for example. Consider the notion of the “gated community.” Is the phrase an expression of a different kind of community, one defined not by inclusion but rather by exclusion?

We find—and forge—communities based on geography, ethnicity, race, religion, marital status, occupation, class, economic status, gender, political affiliation, shared interest, or even language. Are those features more important than values, principles, and ideals? Or do we belong to various communities based on distinct criteria? How can we belong to several communities simultaneously?

The readings in this chapter explore the balance of individual concerns and community values, and they examine how different types of communities arise, some intentionally, some coincidentally. As you discuss these ideas, consider how people form communities, how individuals gain membership, how the community contributes to an individual’s identity, and how outsiders perceive the community. Such discussions will help you formulate questions about the meaning of community in your own life.