Why Community Matters?
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much”- Helen Keller
Human beings wither outside of the community. It isn’t a luxury or something nice, it’s something that’s a necessity, it is essential to our well being. Communities can help improve your life because when someone or many people are in a better position, they can impact lives and solve problems that wouldn’t have been otherwise solved.
Let’s now look at what is a community, why it matters and how tech communities can change the world.
What is a Community?
Before turning to the problem of why community matters let’s first get on the same page as to what a community is?
I’ve been spending a great deal of time thinking about the definition of a community that is universal. It’s not easy as there can be different types of communities social, technological etc.
Community is not a place, an organization, or a place to exchange information over the internet. Community is a feeling that I am part of something bigger than myself as well as have some skin in the game and a set of relationships among people. They have an individual and a collective sense that they can, as part of that community, influence their environments and each other.
This definition of a community captures the essence of what it means to be in a community.
Now the next question is why does community matters? Let’s tackle this question in the next section.
Why Communities matter?
Communities matter because as humans we tend to crave meaning in our lives and we live in a very busy world, finding ourselves caught in day-to-day activities. When we connect meaningfully with more human beings, when they see us and care about us, we feel more alive.
The feeling of belonging that’s derived from living and participating in a community fulfils a human need that can’t be satisfied through any other means. It’s our innate communal nature that’s at the heart of the displays of co-operation, sharing and compassion that have allowed human beings to survive as long as we have.
When there is an erosion of community, we lose these communal values which are far more important than other traits like selfishness and individualism.
The purpose is important but we want to feel that what we’re doing matters, that our existence is meaningful. However, as human beings, we also innately crave deep, meaningful connections with other humans. Belonging to and having a valuable role within a community is what creates the connection that allows us to see ourselves as part of something bigger.
A Connection is what sparks the fire within each of us that prompts us to stand up and speak out when we bear witness to suffering and destruction.
Now after discussing what are communities and why communities matter lets look into the question that how can tech communities change the world?
How tech communities can change the world?
Technology is the future. So people who are creating new technology are creating the future. So, if you educate people, in technology, you are helping create the future. The world needs programmers, there is a well-known shortage of developers worldwide, and companies desperately need good quality engineers. Humankind needs to solve great problems that can only be solved through technology. It is also a well-paid job, so when people help to reduce the gap, when people contribute to technology communities, they are making the world a better place. For everybody.
Because technology communities can thrive by themselves, a group of people with a code of conduct that respects and help each other. Is sustainable, is good, adds value, and it just feels right belonging to something bigger than yourself, a community you can rely on, that are creating interesting stuff. This is how you change the world.
About Zubi
Zubi is building a community around emerging technologies, helping people to connect and help each other. Hoping to help millions of people around the globe to connect, help others and make way for new and interesting projects.
References
https://tokeneconomy.co/why-crypto-community-building-matters-b604b83c813c
https://medium.com/cee-changers/community-builders-a-long-term-view-of-change-26532a3bbfed
https://hackernoon.com/why-your-community-matters-30b24809ef3f
