Community Life on the Wane? Yes, for some time now...

I ran across a very interesting article that was posted on our daily Angelus News email.  Posted from the National Catholic Register:

Catholic Community Life on the Wane?

As community life in the United States declines, Catholic parishes also must address the consequences.

 

The article discusses that this is not just a Catholic phenomenon, but that community life in general has been on the decline for some time.  The author, Nicholas Wolfram Smith, makes use of a study from a new research group in the U.S. Senate, called the Social Capital Project, which recently published it's first report, “What We Do Together,” another interesting read if you have the time.

The report and the article mention several contributing factors to this decline in what they call "associational life," including an increase in "affluence" as one of the factors.  But in all this research, I feel they've missed a very important factor... that we have lost the perceived need for community.

Looking at the first half of the 20th century, the Great War and World War II forced people and nations to band together to address a common communal threat.  Whether on the battlefield or on the home front, people were formed into groups who's purpose was for something beyond them.  Something for the greater good.  Something selfless.  An enlightened self interest?  Perhaps, but at the end of the day, a cause that was bigger than themselves.  And not only that, learning that working as a group was far more effective than trying to do something alone.

After the wars these same people, able to see the bigger picture, able to see the benefits of being a part of a larger group, became involved in churches, lodges, and other community organizations.  This not only gave them a place to share their experiences, but to continue an associative lifestyle which had taught them the importance of looking outward, of being part of a larger community.  This instilled in these generations a sense of duty.  Duty to God, duty to country, duty to community, duty to others.  That while we all have our individual gifts and talents, those gifts and talents are best used serving a greater goal, a goal beyond oneself.  A goal that reached out, to our children, our neighbors, our communities, and in turn gave us some personal affirmation and recognition in the process.

Fast forward now to the latter 20th century where these social norms have been reversed.  From the "me" generation promoting the rugged individualism of the 1970's, all the way through to the "selfie" generation of today.  Now we are taught to promote our own "personal brand."  We no longer belong to "this group" or "that group."  We belong to ourselves.  Any sense of community has been brushed aside in favor of developing a sense self.  A duty primarily not to someone else, or something else, but primarily to oneself.  A selfishness that is further aided by both rise of affluence and ubiquity of technology, allowing us to selectively wall ourselves off from others because we no longer need to depend on the larger community for our own survival.

Now before you begin to criticize this assessment, I must admit that I'm painting these scenarios with a very broad brush.  Sure there are those people today who still understand, value, and participate in communities and the associational lifestyle.  Similarly, there were plenty of people in previous generations that were not necessarily part of the associational lifestyle.  But, as noted by this article and the subsequent studies, the numbers do paint a picture of a society pulling away from associational life, and this has had a profound affect on our communities and our parish life.

But here's my biggest concern:  This turn from the associational lifestyle is fundamentally non-Christian.

St. Paul's dissertations on the Body of Christ need to serve as our guide.  "As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ." (1 Corinthians 12:12).

So, while we as Church need to discern how best to bring the Gospel selflessness to a self-absorbed society, we also need to discern how, as members of that society, do we lead current and future generations back on a path to the associational life?  How do we teach current and future generations that we must live for others instead of ourselves?

These are not simple questions and as I always say, there will not be any simple answers.  But I believe that solving this issue of associational life, of rebuilding a sense of community and of focusing on something larger than ourselves will be necessary if we are to solve so many other social problems, such as poverty, homelessness, mental health, crime, and regular access to proper healthcare.

Of this we know for sure:  As human beings we are inherently selfish.  If left to our own devices, we tend to turn inward instead of outward.  As most parents understand, being selfless, learning to share, are behaviors we need to be taught.  Behaviors that need to be experienced in order to perceive and understand their value.  So how do we, both as a church and a society, teach ourselves how to do this on a grand scale?

So consider these examples:

• Most Israeli citizens are required to spend 2-3 years in the Israel Defense Forces.  Both men and women.
• Most young men who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints, starting at age 18-20, are encouraged to spend 2 years in missionary work.
• Many countries (including the United States until 1973) have or had some form of mandatory conscription into the armed forces for up to two years.
• Most Catholic orders (including the Franciscans and the Jesuits) require their novices to spend time in missionary work
• Many non-Christian religions (including Buddhists, Hindus, and Sikhs) have missionary traditions

Putting aside the religious or military aspect of mandatory service for a moment, all these examples stress one important point:  A duty to others.  A duty to something bigger than themselves.  A duty to a community which in turn grants them the freedom to associate with and within that community.  In essence, it instills in these young people the idea that it's not all about themselves, but about a larger whole, a greater good.

So consider for a moment the benefits of having all Catholics spending a year or two dedicated to community service.  No need to worry about room and board, school or work, just focused on the tasks at hand, wherever that may be; in a community center with kids; in a parish kitchen preparing meals for the homeless; in a teacher's aid in an inner city Catholic school.

Or consider for a moment the benefits of having all US Citizens spending 2 years in service to their country (not necessarily military service);  building and maintaining trails in our national parks;  improving our infrastructure of roads, dams, and bridges; building affordable housing or cleaning up our local parks.

These are just a few ideas.  Hopefully you all have some more.  But one thing is clear to me... we need to find ways we can teach current and future generations that we are but a part of a larger whole, and that our very survival as a species requires that we work as a group.  We need to find a way for our society to again look outward... to live as Christ taught us, to be selfless.