Community

What exactly is community? It's a question that I've thought about a lot in the last few days. Seriously...what is it? I know that in the most literal sense that most people think of, it's the same area a person lives in with the people around them. And that's true. But thinking about it from a Res. Living standpoint, it's the interactions between people in that common living area. For example, the interactions between the residents on my hall.

The problem is, I'm not totally sold on that kind of definition. The more I think about community, the more I realize that it isn't just about the area one lives in, or about the interactions between people. I think community is more about a way of life. It's the helping each other out, being there for each other. It's not just about being neighbors. It's not about having meaningless small talk. It's about the bonds that form between people.

I think organizations can have communities. I think people that don't even live near each other can be part of a community. I know I'm part of several of them. I have my home church. Elkin Valley is such an amazing place. I have my BSU community. I have some great friends there. I've seen forums online in which the members have formed their own special communities, because they all understand each other in regards to some aspect of their lives.

So, I guess my point is that community is an abstract more than it is a concrete concept. What do you think it is?