Community

I spent a little more than a weekend up in Black Mountain, North Carolina. I drove through the Swannanoa Valley to get there, and every time I pass into that bless-ed valley, I get this special feeling. It hits me every time, and I derive this unique vitality from its simple beauty and spiritual cleanliness. I didn't completely come up here for this, though. I rode my little moped some dozen hours (did a little side travel, so not a direct course there) to experience my favorite music festival, Lake Eden Arts Festival (LEAF). For those unfamiliar with these, they often involve a campground becoming a small community for three to four days, along with everything (drugs, music, camping, dancing) you might expect except for crime and animosity. Just peace and love. Now LEAF is family friendly, and of the almost non-existent smoking that goes on, 'tis merely tobacco. And LEAF is what I'd call a multicultural festival. Its gathering of variety and eclecticism is nothing short of genius. For example, in one day, you can go listen to Tim O'Brien, Tuvan throat singers, Bootsy Collins (with his Funk Unity Band) , contra dance, go on a medicinal nature walk, practice yoga, learn about aromatherapy, play on a large chess board, and eat food from every ethnicity you can imagine. People are friendly (more so than usual), the mountains are beautiful, the dancing and song are uplifting and moving, and the healing arts are inspiring. Now, as that as a backdrop, I'd like to discuss the idea of community.
I wanted to point out, firstly, about how you can live close to so many people and not get to know them at all. There are two reasons: Those people have little common interests, and they are closed to interacting. At LEAF, people are open to interact, and there is shared interests, despite the great variety. Like a healthy ecosystem -- where there is room for a variety of plant, animal, fungus, bacteria, and virus species to thrive with great diversity -- people are most strong as a group when they unite in their diversity. Take a close look, and you'll find that those who are intolerant of human diversity -- those with different religions, ethnicity, and culture (even different sports teams) -- care little for biodiversity and their natural environment. Vise-versa is just as eye-opening of an indicator. When we take all of the gifts, viewpoints, and experiences that our Creator has shared with us, and do not suppress them, but let them flower -- when we pattern our social circles after the diverse, yet unified and inter-dynamic Mother Nature -- that is when community can take place.
As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ (LDS), I am so inspired when I see how the Church unites people from all backgrounds in a faith in Christ and testimony of the reality of His modern messengers, and encourages them to bring their traditions and diversity into the Church. I believe that good and evil are the only two spiritual forces, but I am no ways a dualist when it comes to spirituality. Because I believe God is full of light and truth, I recognize that light, white light, is comprised of dozens of colors, no. . . Thousands of colors! With even one color missing, it is not purely white. And I think the people at LEAF feel this sentiment in their soul more than most of their peers. They are not offended by the rainbow colors of truth from many sources. One of my favorite Church leaders, Neal A. Maxwell, talks of truth in a similar way (think of the fore-linked-to prism image)

The scriptures offer us so many doctrinal diamonds. And when the light of the Spirit plays upon their several facets, they sparkle with celestial sense and illuminate the path we are to follow.

 Back to my experience in this "rainbow" gathering. Consider a community where people simply look out for one another, and where needs are seen and met. People at LEAF give me confidence in humanity in the same way that traveling the country-side did. Within a few hours of setting up camp, I was offered food, friendship, and shelter, as I helped people set up their tents. It was a rainy weekend. I had to hang my sleeping bag up to dry, and someone offered to help. It began raining later that day and I rushed back to my campsite to get my draped bag out of the rain. It had already been moved inside a neighbor's shelter. So kind of them! One even recognized me walking by on the way back to the campsite and told me the good news. Another man was warm to my walking into his tent shelter, expressing interest in his guitar playing. He invited me to bring my guitar and complimented me and built my confidence as I played him a tune. Another group, after talking with them for a bit, allowed me to use their skillet to cook a meal. I left the festival on the last day (I had to stay the next day. I was volunteering and they had me work on monday) and came back in the evening. It never even crossed my mind that a few of my critical/expensive belongings were with someone's property. I simply trust people, especially where there is community (I even was able to procure some extra gasoline from a group of people breaking down the festival when I discovered that my moped was fresh out!). You may argue, "These people will never see you again," or "you don't even know these people! Why are you asking favors of them?" I could debate these two examples, but I will only say this: The idea of community, (whose king-pin is trust) once established, helps people understand that others around them need to be loved and respected too. No amount of law, legislation, and tactical security measures can create community --  a true community -- if people refuse to trust. I believe that trust, when given with an open heart, opens the possibility of the flourishing of community. The only time I came close to making enemies is when I occasionally disallowed diversity, on the morally shaky grounds that what they stood for or wished to do -- or rather what I assumed as such -- was wrong. We often do not know the intention of others. The more I learn to assume the best in others and create community, the more our colors mix and our co-existence flourishes in the biodiversity of God's spiritual/physical world.