Keeping the Sacred Flame

There is a belief in this society that we need to be individuals above all else.  We must pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and stride out into the jungle and bring home the bacon and whatever other metaphor I can mix in there.

It’s a lie.

We are a communal species.  We might not always agree and we might not always like what we are, but we are a communal species above all else.  Without other people, we are not fully human.

So what does this mean?  It means we have to engage with other people intelligently.  We can’t just say that they’re there to serve us.  Every person is Divine.  Every person has needs and desires and wants to be treated well.  When we treat other people well, we deepen our community.  When we treat people as items, we damage it.

Which is not to say that we can’t protect ourselves against those that would destroy our community.  But we cannot act preemptively to close people out of community to protect ourselves.  A person alone, a group alone, they are dangerous because they are needing.  We must be welcoming to those that need people, for we need people ourselves.

Be open.  Not stupid – but open.

Questions:
How can you be open to other people?  Are you?
How do you close yourself off from people?  Is this healthy?
Who do you treat as an object and why?