We form our communities from these same two needs the need for self-determination and the need for one another . But in modern society, we have difficulty embracing the inherent paradox of these needs. As we create communities from the cohering center of shared significance, from a mutual belief in why we belong together, we will discover what is already visible everywhere around us in living systems. People's great creativity and diversity, our desire for contribution and relationships, blossom when the heart of our community is clear and beckoning, and when we refrain from cluttering our paths with proscriptions and demands. The future of community is best taught to us by life.
Organizations can do both by extending communities.
Communities in society have always been supported by whatever tools are available to their members at the time. Before writing, communities were very small because the enabling communication vehicle was the member's voice. They had to be able to share their issues and concerns, triumphs and stories in person because that's all they had. Once writing was developed monks and scholars continued to meet in person, but were able to extend their communities by writing down their stories and sharing them with people beyond the sound of their voices. Socrates supposedly said that writing would lead to the end of civilization because people didn't have to be amongst one another any more.