The Value of a Strong Community –
and Pets
In our lives, we form ties with family members; gain and lose friends; develop professional (work) relationships; feel part of cultural, social, and other groups; etc. In some way, each of these entities is part of our own “community.”
Yet, today, I focus more on this way of viewing the concept of community. As Fabian Pfortmüller, a self-described community builder, puts it:
Community = a group of people that care about each other and feel they belong together. 10
And it is this concept of community that has assisted me in my journey. Although I am a pretty determined and self-motivated person, I know I wouldn’t have fared as well as I have as a cancer survivor without the constant, humane, loving, caring, and nurturing support as well as the understanding of everyone in my own personal community. At no time in my life has the phrase “no man is an island” been more true.
It may be hard for you to believe that I am a very private individual when it comes to all aspects of my personal life. After all, here I am opening myself up in a way I never would have dreamed of before. But my community helped to show me how cathartic it could be for me to share my getting pancreatic cancer with other people outside of the community. I’d like to think that in this intense situation I finally realized the true value of communication and sharing. It is only by letting others in that they may help us in our journey.