Selfish Communities

Can a gathering of self-serving individuals activate progress, advancement, or accomplishment?

I think so. But to reach its potential that collection has to interact as a community.

Each of us has four sources of energy: soul, heart, mind, and body. Each source has a different capacity to contribute to the success of that individual. Some are extensive physical specimens whose intellectual capacity is narrow. Some, as myself, can intellectually consider a myriad of deep issues but lack the wherewithal to rein in their mind’s focus to stay on point. Others, as my wife, can compartmentalize issues to the point that they can assume one demeanor to complete the first issue then can complete shift gears to deal with the next item on the agenda. Each in a completely different vacuum.

This dichotomy can be very volatile to a couple.

My wife and I each have trouble dealing with the others mental make-up. There are occasions where we do work together and then enjoy the fruits resulting from our contributing our best, as a couple. Great things have happened.

More commonly, though, we are at loggerheads. The issue is most often conflicting focus.

My wife’s focus can get so severe that her actions disconnect from their context. For example, she can sit in a room alone reading the paper and try to discuss an article with me as if I was not only there but reading what she is.

My focus can be so erratic that I disconnect from my context. Within any given half-hour I can start work on editing some written piece, move to my e-mail, turn on a TV program, then off again, and then start or advance a completely new writing project.

Is it ironic that two people can arrive at the same disconnected place coming from such different directions?

Hence my point about community.

I have to learn to satisfy my selfish needs through the community results. I don’t surrender those needs. This isn’t Marxism. My individuality is not dissolved into a greater protoplastic whole. I decide consciously to match up my abilities to someone else’s so that I can enjoy better individual success. A success equally enjoyed by my partner.

One half of three is better than all of one.

For this to happen we each have to selfishly recognize our own strengths – and our own weaknesses. That way the community can better apply the talents of its members to the tasks at hand. But for the community to benefit from these decisions we have to selfishly understand the strengths weaknesses of the other members, too. Then everyone selfishly agrees to move forward toward greater results trusting in each other’s capabilities.

A lot of interaction that.