How to build a community

SURAJ SEHGAL reflects upon coming together and creating community with change and vision.

Moving to a new place, graduating, starting a new job, getting married. There are so many different phases in our lives and points in our life in which we find ourselves reflecting on what is our community, where is our community, and how we want to be a part of it, and how we want to build community. In our own experience, having moved from the east coast to west coast of the USA for the first time, we needed to rebuild a sense of people, a community of people that help each other and stay in touch with each other. Here are a few things we discovered that helped us to feel part of a new community. 

So number one is consistency, doing things regularly, whether it’s a weekly group meditation and dinner, or a monthly trip or hike, or a consistent meet up. Consistency in the world that we live in today, where everyone is flaking and has a million different priorities, is a challenge. But part of setting up a community is showing that you care about it, and so being consistent and regular in whatever you pursue, really goes a long way in setting up a long term community. If it’s a newsletter, or an online community, a newsletter that is weekly, biweekly, quarterly – whatever it is, be consistent. Or, have a phone call with a friend, be consistent and regular with those things. 

The second is availability, a big part of community, whether it’s meditation or otherwise, is asking yourself the question: How am I making myself available to other people? This doesn’t mean that you have to say yes to everything, but consider, am I available for the big moments in someone’s life? Whether it's their birthday, their parents visiting the graduation that they have, in what ways am I making myself available for other people to participate in my life? Am I thinking I’m going to do everything on my own, and not giving people the opportunity to come and enjoy, and celebrate with me or work together? 

The last is vision, to have a deep sense of community, I find that it’s really important to have set an intention or a vision of what it is that you’re inviting, and then to let that guide you in in your day to day activities. 

So life is unpredictable. We have no idea who or what will come into our lives. But if you have a vision of the kind of community or feeling that you want to create, of brotherhood, of friendship, of a bond of people helping each other, nurture that vision, meditate on that vision, pray for it, inviting it mentally. Then, allow that vision to inspire what you can do next, how you can reach out to people and who you might know what you might do next.