For December our topic will be The Value of Community.
18 years ago the first incarnation of the FPS Salon read and discussed the book Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community by Robert Putnam. In 2003 he wrote Better Together: Restoring the American Community, but by most accounts, the overall failure of American communities that Putnam was lamenting in 2000 has continued to this day. A recent article from Alternet.org lists “5 ways American policies and attitudes make us lonely, anxious and antisocial” and claims that “At each stage of life, we are being stunted as human beings.”
Why is community valuable to humans? If it is then why do people seem to have trouble finding it, building it, and supporting it? Have we somehow moved beyond community, or are communities thriving in unexpected places? Is an online community the real thing or a poor substitute? What would make a real community thrive in America today?
Join us to listen to what others think and to share what you think. The Religious Exploration Salon is a group that meets 3rd Sundays to discuss various topics in the format called Bohm Dialogue which emphasizes respectful listening and balanced, synergistic sharing. For more details about how Dialogue works, please see this intro.
Everyone is welcome. You are welcome to think about the topic beforehand but no preparation is required or expected — come as you are with whatever thoughts/intuitions you have, ready to listen, learn and contribute. We next meet Sunday December 16 at 7pm in the Brackett Room.
Contact Paul Reising, Tom Yelton or Jan Hardenbergh for more information.