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You are community
Build those around
Let them flourish
-安天美
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The most profound communities start with the recognition that it begins with you at its center. We ourselves are the foundation upon which everything else grows. Consider how we often speak of "joining" communities, as if they exist fully formed, waiting for our arrival. But the truth hides in plain sight: communities form around people who embody them. You don't just join community; you are community. Your presence creates the very thing you seek.
What does it mean to build those around us? I think of a garden. Not the meticulously planned kind with strict borders and labeled sections, but the kind that grows with a purpose guided by nature's wisdom. Building others isn't about moulding them to specifications. It's about creating conditions where their natural strengths flourish.
I've noticed something curious about genuine builders of community. They rarely speak of themselves as leaders. Instead, they talk about the brilliance they've witnessed in others, the potential they've helped uncover. Their joy comes from watching others discover their own light. I’ve had the joy to experience a few: Paystack, 16/16, HerSynergy, Joydragger’s House, Nkasiobi, Pada …
The world offers many scripts for success. That you must compete to thrive. That community is something you find rather than create. That building influence means gathering attention for yourself. These scripts are maps of a sort, and like all maps, they leave much unmarked.
What treasures lie hidden in the unmapped territories of community? I've found a few: The quiet power that comes from celebrating another's victory as your own. The resilience that forms when knowledge flows freely rather than being hoarded. The unexpected innovations that appear when diverse minds approach a challenge together. A random aha moment right at the end of a group call!
Young people today inherit both extraordinary connection and profound isolation. Technology connects across continents but sometimes disconnects across rooms. The challenge becomes finding genuine community beneath these contradictions. I believe it starts with recognising yourself as community, with building circles of connection around you, and creating spaces where others can flourish.
There's a certain courage in letting others flourish. It requires trust that when we release control, something beautiful emerges. The flourishing community isn't one where everyone moves in lockstep, but where each person contributes their unique melody to a greater harmony.
The community-builder is ultimately an optimist that prospers with wisdom. While the world might suggest that true belonging is scarce, the community-builder sees abundance. I hope I've demonstrated something meaningful about this poem to you. Community thrives not as an abstract concept but as a living practice. One where you stand at the center, building outward, creating space for everyone to flourish in their unique brilliance.
With a lot of love,
From your friend in community.
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<aside> <img src="/icons/backward_blue.svg" alt="/icons/backward_blue.svg" width="40px" /> Embracing Flux
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<aside> <img src="/icons/forward_blue.svg" alt="/icons/forward_blue.svg" width="40px" /> See you tomorrow?
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If you read this far, you are a real one!
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