WHAT IS A COMMUNITY SPIRIT AND WHY DOES IT MATTER?

We live in a time of deep political division that threatens our ability to address pressing issues at the local, state, and national levels.  Identifying a community’s common aspirations, a “community spirit,” may be one way that people can help their communities. A statement of community spirit that resonates broadly and deeply with the community’s residents helps spark something constructive. People more often are seen:

Collaborating;

Listening to other viewpoints;

Weighing the overall community values as they plan their own advocacy;

Feeling like a part of the community rather than alienated from it and therefore more resistant to those who seek to demonize people with different viewpoints; and

Joining more often in achieving the aims implicit in the community spirit.1

1Paraphrased from Nancy H. Rogers, One Idea for Ameliorating Polarization: Reviving Conversations About an American Spirit, 2018 J. of Disp. Resol. 28, 29-35; Susan Carpenter & W.J.D. Kennedy, Managing Public Disputes: A Practical Guide for Professionals in Government, Business, and Citizens’ Groups 204 (1988).