8:00am | Community… Community… Community, access your favorite media portal and you will find someone discussing it, joining it, building or celebrating it. From school clubs and neighborhood associations to Facebook “causes” and social networking sites, people are experiencing the unique satisfaction that comes from sharing life with others. Common interests and shared experiences can go a long way with the people on your street, but what about community in a city? Over the past 50 years, urban America’s focus on the individual as the center of society has effectively stifled the development of a truly integrated, vibrant city community. As a result, many neighborhoods continue to see the movement away from community and toward isolation.
How does it happen? In the present day, we see it happening something like this: Products and services are marketed to give you the idea that it’s ok for you to have whatever you want, when you want. Your political party has enlightened you to the reality that you are the helpless victim of fear mongers or big government, corporate giants or the professionally lazy. In fact, the injustices you suffer are so unique that unless the others around you look like you and talk like you, have sex like you and pray to the same god you do, it is impossible for them to have any idea how to befriend or even understand you. Finally, now you are totally justified to steer clear of the unfamiliar people around you and take care of yourself.
The city of Long Beach is a special place. It is full of unique challenges and opportunities. It is a town defined by its differences. Those differences ask each of us to wrestle with our own selfishness. At the same time, they provide us the opportunity to directly exercise the highest forms of our humanity.
The mission of We Love Long Beach is to know and serve the people, the neighborhoods and the city of Long Beach. Through this column, we are grateful for the opportunity to discover how it’s possible to love each other and be different. Want to try it out? Choose anyone in Long Beach, learn about who they are and choose to serve one of their needs. We want to hear about it when you do.
Adam Ferry
We Love Long Beach
[email protected]
Serve: [email protected], Attn: Dan English
Read: The Home We Build Together, By Jonathan Sacks