One of the common complaints which society has is the fact that in many places around the world, the community spirit which we once relied upon has been slowly eroded. This has happened as the consequence of many different factors, more people are moving around than ever before, cities are too busy and chaotic for people to be nice to one another, as well as a large number of variable factors which have contributed to the downfall of a community. In small towns however, this is not the case and myself and my friend Daniel DeKoter, residents of Osceola County here in Iowa, with its tiny population of 7,000, understand very well why community is so important. I asked Dan for his take and here is what he had to say.
Happier People
At the root of a communist is residents who are generally happier than others who are not part of a tight community. The reason behind this is that one can feel incredibly comfortable when they know that they have the backing of a great many friends and family members, who they can call on for just about anything. Contrast this with someone who lives in a busy city and who doesn’t even know who they’re neighbors are, and you start to get a sense of why people are happier within a tight community.
Crime
One of the biggest contributing factors to high crime numbers is a reduction in community spiritedness. Take Osceola County for example, we have almost zero crime here and that is in part because of the low population, bit also because there is such a tight knit community here that everyone looks after one another, and everyone knows one another. Daniel for example is an attorney at law, so he is the guy people go to for legal questions, we also know our local police very well and they know us. This togetherness in the community in our view is directly linked to lower crime figures.
Support Network
The importance of having a support network around you can never be underestimated. This level of community and being able to call on one another for help is perfect for young parents looking for a babysitter or some help at home, the elderly are cared for buy their community and young boys and girls will have a huge amount of positive role models and teachers within their community, who can help them to become better people. When you have a situation where you can’t rely on the people that live near you, this has a direct impact on stress levels and on your life in general. Having a family is vitally important and in a community that is close together, you can count on having an even bigger family.
We have lost our sense of community but it is still alive and kicking in many parts often world, if you are part of one, be sure to embrace it as not everyone has this chance.