Interdependent Community is...

Words can often become diluted with overuse so it is important to be clear on what you mean when you use it.

As a kid I had a ton of thick, long hair and it was not a great match for the lack of patience and time of my caregivers. So at 7 I was given my first “perm”. It straightened my hair and made it easier to manage on a regular basis. But it also gave me something I didn’t realize would follow me through life…my first cognizant introduction to the conflation of words.

As someone that was always naturally skilled in and drawn to the beauty industry, I’ve always been exposed to its products. When I began cosmetology school (as Beauty School Dropout from Grease plays in my head LOL) I started to learn the technical and scientific language for commonly used terms. And what I had been getting in my hair for years was not a “perm” as it was always called. It was actually a relaxer.

A relaxer straightens your hair.

A perm adds curl or wave to your hair.

Two very different concepts that don’t give nearly the same outcome. And yet it was always referred to that way. I now try to be very aware of the language I use in life for a number of reasons including accessibility, cultural consciousness, and of course, clarity. So beyond the fact that I need my salon clients to be clear on what they’re asking for and receiving from this Senior Cosmetologist, I want to bring clarity into all of the work I do across my businesses. 

So let’s chat a bit and take some time today to get clear on the concept of interdependent community and break it down a little. I’ll share my perspective of what I personally seek to create along with what I hear from clients. I’ll share some insight into:

What is the purpose of community?

What is interdependence?

Why create community?

Instead of assuming what you are aiming for and what your goals are, I want you to get really clear on what the answers are for you so consider this a mini journaling exercise for you.

I’ll start with a definition. Community, as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is:

• a body of persons or nations having a common history or common social, economic, and political interests.

• a group of people with a common characteristic or interest living together within a larger society.

I’ll merge these together to define community as a group of individuals with intersecting goals and intentions living interdependently within a larger society. This also applies to those who consider themselves to be introverted or extroverted. It is more about the ways in which you desire to be of service to others. One of my clients is happily introverted and yet they love to share knowledge and support others. Here’s a breakdown of it in a more meta way.

Individuals are autonomous but humans are pack animals. We depend on one another for our needs and wants. There are goals that we have in common with others that come together and can be achieved easier when we combine our efforts. This means our intentions can support an environment where our existence can be supported by communal efforts being united for the collective. There will be other communities that are similar or different than ours but the separation can allow each community to exist how it desires respectfully. 

Let’s also define interdependence. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as:

• a mutually dependent relationship

In combination that means interdependent community is a group of individuals with intersecting goals and intentions fostering a mutually dependent existence within a larger society.

So the foundational purpose of interdependent community is to create a system that operates on communal contribution, connection, and efforts so every member is supported and resourced. Everyone does their part. Everyone has their needs met. Wondering about some tangible examples of this?

• children are raised with the influence and support of a group of people and the responsibility isn’t heavily only resting on one or two people to provide everything.

• no one is left to languish if they are in need of help (ie, homeless, aging, ill, etc.).

• communal influence means that the younger people have a variety of individuals to learn from and the eldest people have wisdom to offer to others from the experiences they’ve had.

• work is not about earning little money for back breaking labor and is focused on making sure the needs of the collective are met by communal agreed upon contributions that allows for people’s humanity to never threaten their way of life (ie, calling out sick might mean I’ll lose my job and become unhoused).

Here in the US we have collectively been socialized to be hyper-independent. Hyper independence is a lie and it leaves the most vulnerable of us at risk and those in need unsupported. I’ve witnessed more and more people rebuking this concept because it isn’t helpful and actually creates unhealthy divides between us. The goal is to explore the concept of how to create communal energy while maintaining autonomy. I think this is a very personal decision, so here’s a prompt to get you started considering it.

How does autonomy exist within a thriving community?

This prompt will begin to guide you into the concept of building the community you dream of being a part of. And since this community is different than what you currently exist in then you have to start by identifying:

• what are the core values of this community and it’s members (what matters most and why)

• what does this community need to operate (how it makes the core values actionable)

• who is a part of this community (what kinds of people and skill sets are necessary)

You can even think about this now by using your home as an example. Consider the format above as a starting place for identifying the mechanics of your home as its own community. It will give you a personal example of interdependence in action (or how you can bring more of it into your communal actions).

Interdependence is a cornerstone of community as it explicitly acknowledges that no one does this thing called life solo. Food, water, shelter, companionship, safety, companionship, etc….all of these come from from some type of contribution of others in large and small ways. This calls out the gaping holes in the lies of being “self-made” and the concept of “pulling yourself up by your bootstraps”.

So, why do you want to create community? 

What makes you want to foster this type of environment and how is it different than your current reality?

Why is this important to you? 

For me, I want to create a daily reality with people that I’m working collaboratively with for a lifestyle that is thrumming with love, respect, consideration, and cooperation. I want to create a family unit with people around me so we can contribute to raising each other’s families. Crafting a life that we share together while also maintaining space for autonomy within our community.

I’ll also say that it is important to create a more mutually beneficial community so we don’t resign ourselves to languish in the current system because we know it is possible. It takes time, imagination, and collective effort to reimagine and create a future reality that’s not yet been made into reality. But impossible it is not.

Awareness, daydreaming, processing, and action taking. This is a place for you to begin the tangible action of moving from Curiosity to Community. 

Ready to get started?

Erica✨