The Trees in the Forest

While it is nice to talk about communities, and frameworks to build communities, it is equally, if not more, important to consider carefully the individuals who make up any community. M. Scott Peck wrote his classic spiritual transformational book, "Road Less Traveled", many years ago. It describes the journey of his own spiritual transformation, and what it means to be a spiritual being on this journey of life. In order for communities to overcome the obstacles of a lack of commitment, or exclusivity, or totalitarian rigidity, or lack of communication, each individual must first overcome their own obstacles for spiritual growth. Amazingly, the obstacles for individuals are remarkably similar to the obstacles for communities. Commitment, tolerance, flexibility and willingness to submit to another's authority, active listening and willingness to hear another person's voice, these are all essential to a person's spiritual growth, as well as the health of a community. Without them, a person can not enter into the state of emptiness, the state of Grace, that is required for a group of individuals to enter into community. Unlike an actual forest, each and every tree in the forest of individuals must be healthy and thriving, in order for the whole forest to be healthy. A deficiency in one tree is a deficiency in the whole. The old small town culture of caring for each member reflects the same understanding of individuals in a community.

How do communities of individuals maintain a healthy commitment for each other? How do diverse different individuals form contrasting background and history tolerate each other, not only in formal structured situations, like meetings, but also in daily surprising encounters when each person's own little idiosyncracies represent point of friction and annoyances for everyone else? How can confident and over-achieving individuals with strong opinions, high energy, and sharp focus share with others and not become involved in conflicts of personalities or opinions? Indeed, all the other necessary ingredients in a person's spiritual growth begins with the quality of active listening, or willingness to hear another person's voice, to be emptied of one's own voice, of one's own opinions, of ones own expectations, of one's own prejudices, and most of all, of one's own habits and old assumptions. Only when we are emptied of ourselves, can we become a bigger self, to rise to the next level of a spiritual being, to connect with another person.

When any particular tree overshadows the other trees around it, the forest loses the charm of cohesiveness of purpose, and the aesthetic unity of the forest is lost to the majesty of the singular tree. Similarly, although each individual is unique and special, perhaps because every individual is unique and special, no singular individual should be placed above all others. The concept of a divine right to rule has been proven wrong in history. No singular individual or any group of individuals has the right to overshadow all others, no matter the reason. Christ set the extraordinary example of washing the feet of the disciples as a clear demonstration of this lesson. Each tree in the forest deserves our respect and admiration. A community is only healty when there is this atmosphere of mutual respect and admiration exists among all the members of the community, including those who are newly joined, or even, those who are from outside of the community. When the forest can care for each and every tree within it, then and only then, it is a sustainable forest.