The critical need for community collaboration
“Civil society cannot thrive if competition and self-interest are promoted to the exclusion of empathy, collaboration, and cooperation. Without valuing other people in the community, regardless of their immediate utility to ourselves, there is no possibility for social altruism and the idea of social responsibility. In short, we lose the vitality and potential of the community. “
The myth of the rugged individual
When I was a kid the most iconic television commercials that I remember were for Marlboro cigarettes. The ads highlighted an rugged individualist cowboy herding cows and chasing wild stallions. It is crazy, that there can be a bit of nostalgia in the smell of cigarette smoke, even though I was never a smoker. At the same time, I might not have enough fingers on two hands to count the relatives that I lost to smoking-related cancer. Yet, as lethal as cigarettes are, I have come to believe that the myth of the rugged individualist is as deadly smoking. I am not alone in that opinion, in fact, back when had a functioning Office of the Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek H. Murthy released a report on the epidemic of social isolation and the detrimental health effects of a rugged individualist lifestyle. The data in that report suggests that social isolation is as hazardous as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
Moving the concept of rugged individualism and social isolation to the community level, we see that our nation is at a crossroads. For decades, we have shaped our culture to believe that we are a nation of individuals who “pulled ourselves up by our bootstraps,” when the reality is that we are only strong as an interdependent whole. It is our departure from the core of social and civic solidarity, that brought us to place where we tolerate the rapid dismantling of the social contract of our nation. At the national level, we are seeing the weakening, if not wholesale collapse, of infrastructure and funding for education, public health and healthcare, small business, and social services —impacting every level of society. The implications are profound. We can no longer count on the stability of funding, programs, and institutions that once undergirded our functioning national society. As many communities witnessed the dismantling of their industrial economies, we now see the dismantling of our social economies.
So we stand at the crossroad. We can chose a dystopian future based on rugged individualism, like the story line of Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games books or or even darker world of Octavia Butler’s Parable series. The alternative is that we can choose the road traveled before, where social cohesion and civic solidarity is rediscovered through collaboration, civic engagement, and community responsibility. Let’s look at three vignette examples:
Scene 1: I spent years in the nonprofit sector and, like many, I am convinced that too many nonprofits seek to preserve their organization at the cost of support the social outcomes they seek. Whether it is affordable housing or food security or youth development, to name a few, too many nonprofit leaders of large organizations implicitly adopt the Animal Farm axiom that "all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” Conversely, many small nonprofits are trying desperately to claw market share from donors, government, and philanthropic institutions. Meanwhile, the inefficiencies created by the organization striving, both large and small, reduces the dollars available to support those being served by the nonprofit programs.
In this context, the sheer volume of federal dollars that have been taken off the table by the current political administration is creating an even bigger crisis. Coupled with federal cuts, “innovative” philanthropic tax structures that encourage the wealthy to park idle cash in Donor Advised Funds (rather than donating funds), creates a scarcity mentality that further undermines the collective service delivery. The nonprofit sector demands collaborative reform and without it, more children will fall behind, families will struggle increasingly with intergenerational poverty, and our seniors will increasingly face a mean and subsistence standard of living as they age. It will take tremendous courage and leadership for nonprofits to build collaborative partnerships through dialogue, planning, action and follow through.
Scene 2: There was a time when urban neighborhoods and small towns thrived as a local economies mixed small-scale production, locally owned businesses, and community spaces that encouraged social gathering. Then came the waves of deindustrialization of communities followed by the of disruptions of the internet, the influx of private equity, and proliferation of national chains. The result was the uncoupling of our economic choices from community with many policy makers believing that, in the venerated words of Margaret Thatcher, there is no alternative,” than concede to the terms of the next big deal for a technology or data center, mass retailer logistics facility or private prison. The result is that the remaining local retail districts fight over small business public policy scraps, becoming disconnected from each other, with scarcity driving competition rather than collaboration. Yet, there is a small, parallel and growing movement to reclaim local economies. There is a proliferation of small business alliances and associations that are building coordinated strategies to improve business districts. Training and coaching on collaboration rebuilds local economies must cross silos and not only include businesses but policy makers, civic and arts organizations, public safety, transportation and parks and recreation. Building a healthy business environment requires facilitating conversations that connect the dots between groups and agencies with very different goals and objectives to create a more unified version of community.
Scene 3: A third example of rediscovering collaboration can be found in redefining the purpose and intention of faith communities. Too often, religious groups are examples of insular communities with the mistaken identity that their primary charge is to care for those that join their community. If there is community outreach (beyond proselytizing), it is often restricted to a bit of charity —distributing food boxes or second hand clothing. Few faith communities embrace becoming part of the community by using their assets to weave the social fabric in the community. Imagine if faith communities allowed their assets to be used in partnership with others to deliver program and services. Of course, there are exceptions and models, —churches that co-house nonprofits, open community gardens, or even build transitional housing onsite,— but those collaborations are not the norm, even though most faith traditions, espouse the values of community engagement. There is a powerful opportunity for faith communities to deepen their understanding of community need and create pathways for engaging with other community groups, agencies, accepting and embracing to the rich diversity of the communities where they are located.
I was recently reading an article on social solidarity, human rights, and collective action and was reminded that any big change requires rebuilding trust, developed by establishing platforms for citizen participation. Collaboration rather and individualism must be the platform for change. Imagine. Imagine rediscovering the vitality and potential of the community. Imagine, creating the time to learn, plan and engage in collaboration with a renewed sense of urgency. Imagine if we build more porches to connect us and fewer fences to divide us.
Collaboration is the critical competency we need as individuals and communities. To understand where our civic engagement overlaps and ask the question, “how can I help?”
~ Mark
I have spent my career building connections and supporting collaborative work. I was fortunate enough to be introduced to systems thinking as part of my graduate work in public health and have used community development skills in virtually every position I have held. If you need a meeting facilitator, trainer or someone to help design a process, the reach out and connect.
References:
Douwes, R., Stuttaford, M., & London, L. (2018). Social Solidarity, Human Rights, and Collective Action: Considerations in the Implementation of the National Health Insurance in South Africa. Health and human rights, 20(2), 185–196.
Morris, J., Greentree V., & Taylor, J. (2014). The myth of the rugged individual: Implications for public administration, civic engagement, and civil society. Virginia Social Science Journal, 49, 29-54
Office of the Surgeon General (OSG). (2023). Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community. US Department of Health and Human Services.
Sangiovanni, Andrea and Juri Viehoff, "Solidarity in Social and Political Philosophy,” The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2023 Edition), Edward N. Zalta & Uri Nodelman (eds.).
Wasson, K. (2021, June 4). Rugged American individualism is a myth, and it’s killing us. The Hastings Center for Bioethics.
