“Wise leaders depend upon their people,
Without whom they are lonely exiles.
When the parts are separated,
There can be no harmony.”
Tao Te Ching, 39
These days too many heartless corporations treat people like replaceable parts. In an atmosphere of mechanical efficiency, loyal employees are downsized, contract workers come and go. But wise leaders value the power of community. They know that together we can create what no one person can achieve alone. And community heals us, bringing our frantic, fragmented world from the edge of despair to new horizons of hope.
We each have our own stories of community. Years ago, I met George Sullwold, a Classics and English Professor at Santa Clara University. I still remember the story he told me about teaching at St. John’s University in Shanghai before World War II. After the Japanese invasion, the students and faculty were placed in an internment camp for the rest of the war. They lived with simple bamboo shelters and meager rations. “We couldn’t do anything about the food and living conditions,” he said, “so we concentrated on our studies.” Sharing their books and ideas, the professors and students found a sense of freedom, building community by teaching each other Latin, Greek, history, philosophy, poetry, and drama. They met for tutorials, held poetry readings and philosophical discussions, and they staged plays. In fact, George told me with a tinge of regret, they were preparing for a performance of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night when the camp was liberated at the end of the war.
George returned home, teaching at American universities for the rest of his career. But he told me that his internment was “the best time of my life,” his eyes shining as he reflected on the small community that transformed deprivation into an affirmation of hope.
We all have our stories of community.
- What is yours?
- Write down your story of community.
- Then ask yourself: “What lessons does this story hold for my life today?”
Namaste,
Diane