For many Americans, the sense of Self stops at the skin. This is a very peculiar idea, one that many people in the world today would find very strange. A community is a circle of people who have a sense of self beyond their skin, where people communicate and work together on goals for their common good. Community is for humans what the hive is for bees. It might be people who share the same place, or people who are related, or people who share the same interests.
Cooperation is what makes human beings what they are.
It was noted that competition tends to make people stupid, and cited political and athletic speeches, among other things, as supporting evidence. A nurturing, healthy community is a circle, even a basket, held together by mutual trust, respect, and interdependence. Corporations and similar organizations are pyramids, or triangles, with clearly defined, even sharp, edges. Manitonquat also does programs in prisons. For him, prisons are the refined essence of our society.