On Togetherness
Eclipse #36.3
A burden shared is a burden halved; a joy shared is a joy doubled. It’s a phrase that points towards a defining principle of being human: the desire to be known and loved by others. This instinct is uniquely situated to provide us with motivation and energy, especially when the going gets tough.
I’d like to describe this feeling another way, one that’s personal to me and my experience. Whenever I’m going to my family’s home after an especially long time away, like a term at school, I always look forward to my dog’s reaction when I walk in. She gets the smiliest face on and does a full body wiggle, walking through my legs and doing excited circles all around me so I can give her lots of pets and hugs and such for a greeting. No matter what may be going on around me, how anxious or upset I may feel, it never fails to make me smile and lighten the load on my shoulders a little. The idea that my presence makes this creature so happy makes me euphoric to be alive. Whatever this feeling is, it has the power to send my spirits soaring, to restore my energy, my faith in being alive. Wherever you may get this feeling from, your family, your friends, your lover(s), or elsewhere, I hope you treasure it, for it is a verymost powerful thing indeed.
I wish society prioritized community more. Even in a world filled with more people than ever and connected by powerful technology, life still manages to be lonely and overwhelming for many. I believe that our hyper-individualistic approach to daily life leaves many people prey to desperation and helplessness. More often than not, when folks are struggling, be it with houselessness, hunger, or loneliness, it's up to them to find or make a solution. But not everyone is capable of overcoming such adversity on their own. However, society is more than capable. Within society, there is always someone who is ready and capable of lending a helping hand. The issue is finding and connecting with that group or person. What we lack is the community that prioritizes one another and lends a hand where it is needed.
Community is capable of providing for its inhabitants, not for some greater material good, but for the sake of the community itself. This is the spirit of mutual aid! When people come together to provide and be provided for, this is when we are strongest. Instead of having to fill the voids yourself, community can provide the support that turns that void into an opportunity. The opportunity to help someone in need, to make a connection and weave together a net of people that support each other, flexible as an octopus and strong as an elephant. When will we realize that the most valuable and important thing to human beings is other human beings?