A. I find these lines powerful! "The thing is, being in proximity to a variety of people with a variety of perspectives and experiences did something that arguments on the internet never did. It humanized them for me. It gave me gentle permission to ask myself if, maybe, I had gotten some things wrong."
Individualized polarization is the illness of today. And it is killing true community. I love that instead of the arguments, the meeting of people with other ideas "humanized" them. Very sweet and tender. This realization that we all come to our understandings based on our diverse and varied life experiences.. Each perspective added together creating a fuller picture. All of the colors from the artists pallet painting this masterpiece of life.
The thing I'm most grateful for from my experience at college is the opportunity to learn alongside (and therefore learn from) people who were different from me. As it turned out, most of us weren't so different after all, but I wouldn't have known that if I hadn't had the chance to spend so much time with them.
I didn’t grow up in a church, but I had a mother who I only remember having one friend outside of our family for most of my life. I did not grow up with many social skills. I became a Christian at 19 and found community there that felt really good at the time, until I started to question the theology it was assumed every Christian believed. My family can ‘fit in’ to those communities, but we don’t belong anymore, and I so long for what you’re talking about as a stay at home parent.
I recently chatted with a woman at our progressive church about starting some experiments in community -- opening up the space to just be together, a time that’s the same every week, and not turning it into a program. If you’re there, you help set up chairs and brings snacks and games. If you’re there, you’re not serving others -- it’s a mutual relationship. We haven’t started yet, but I hope it will be a place where organic community, whether a person goes to church or not, can thrive and even be multi-generational. I’d love to do all-ages open mics, game nights, play times for parents with littles. I have so many thoughts about it, and I have decided that I just maybe had to be the one to do it, even if it fails. I can’t wait around for community anymore.
My parents also have never had many friends, and up until the last handful of years, I never had more than a few that I was really comfortable with and wanted to spend time with regularly.
I love that you have started something specifically for the purpose of community. Church spaces generally just don't feel very comfortable for me, but I did start a colouring club at my local library which a handful of my friends come to when they can. I'm trying to explore some other options that feel accessible for me and could be mutually beneficial for others.
The amount of stress that just disappeared when I moved closer to supportive family/community overwhelmed me. I expected to feel better, but I had not expected to feel such a drastic difference.
It's amazing what we endure without realizing how bad it is sometimes. I'm so glad that you moving back has been as good for you as having you close has been for us. ❤️
A. I find these lines powerful! "The thing is, being in proximity to a variety of people with a variety of perspectives and experiences did something that arguments on the internet never did. It humanized them for me. It gave me gentle permission to ask myself if, maybe, I had gotten some things wrong."
Individualized polarization is the illness of today. And it is killing true community. I love that instead of the arguments, the meeting of people with other ideas "humanized" them. Very sweet and tender. This realization that we all come to our understandings based on our diverse and varied life experiences.. Each perspective added together creating a fuller picture. All of the colors from the artists pallet painting this masterpiece of life.
The thing I'm most grateful for from my experience at college is the opportunity to learn alongside (and therefore learn from) people who were different from me. As it turned out, most of us weren't so different after all, but I wouldn't have known that if I hadn't had the chance to spend so much time with them.
Yep, we aren't that different after all! So much more in common than not!
I didn’t grow up in a church, but I had a mother who I only remember having one friend outside of our family for most of my life. I did not grow up with many social skills. I became a Christian at 19 and found community there that felt really good at the time, until I started to question the theology it was assumed every Christian believed. My family can ‘fit in’ to those communities, but we don’t belong anymore, and I so long for what you’re talking about as a stay at home parent.
I recently chatted with a woman at our progressive church about starting some experiments in community -- opening up the space to just be together, a time that’s the same every week, and not turning it into a program. If you’re there, you help set up chairs and brings snacks and games. If you’re there, you’re not serving others -- it’s a mutual relationship. We haven’t started yet, but I hope it will be a place where organic community, whether a person goes to church or not, can thrive and even be multi-generational. I’d love to do all-ages open mics, game nights, play times for parents with littles. I have so many thoughts about it, and I have decided that I just maybe had to be the one to do it, even if it fails. I can’t wait around for community anymore.
My parents also have never had many friends, and up until the last handful of years, I never had more than a few that I was really comfortable with and wanted to spend time with regularly.
I love that you have started something specifically for the purpose of community. Church spaces generally just don't feel very comfortable for me, but I did start a colouring club at my local library which a handful of my friends come to when they can. I'm trying to explore some other options that feel accessible for me and could be mutually beneficial for others.
The amount of stress that just disappeared when I moved closer to supportive family/community overwhelmed me. I expected to feel better, but I had not expected to feel such a drastic difference.
It's amazing what we endure without realizing how bad it is sometimes. I'm so glad that you moving back has been as good for you as having you close has been for us. ❤️