We are sharing our own thoughts in response to this month’s prompt (Refer back to The Invitation if you have questions about what we’re doing here). Libby Smith shares her thoughts on our prompt:
What are the elements of community that allow you to be authentically you?
If I’m fully honest with myself, I have rarely found community where I can be my full authentic self. I do have many relationships where I show up as my full self, but these people exist across the many communities that I am apart of. But there is something decidedly different about feeling part of collective where values are shared and a sense of intimacy grows.
I am most interested in being in spaces with people who want to do the deep work of self-inquiry, people who are learning to trust themselves, people who can show up with an open heart and plenty of humility. I want to be vulnerable and be witness to the vulnerability of others. The reciprocity is critical.
Shared values is the other critical component of community for me. I am learning to have more explicit conversations about values and I am more attuned to situations where values are mismatched. Not all values have to be held equally, but I feel most in community with others who share my values around vulnerability, compassion, & liberation.
I deeply believe that we need community to be well, to be fully human, to continue to evolve towards liberation. We have been living through a time that has discouraged us from doing these things, but I am finding more and more that people are awakening to these ideals. Those are my people.
Radical (Re)imagining 