The Illusion of Something Greater
Harley Woods | November 11, 2021
What is community? Assuming one isn’t referring to the NBC series from 2009, a community can be defined in many different ways. Overall, it is a group of people with common interests or shared liability.
It is also one of the three pillars of Warren Wilson College (WWC) and is a substantial aspect of student engagement both on and off campus. However, after only a short time on campus, many students voice a shared disappointment: community at WWC is not what it appears to be.
Students come to campus being told how friendly everyone is. While for the most part that is true, it can also be proven wrong by the rumor mill and opposing strong ideas. Because students anticipate sharing like-minded views with their peers, they are taken aback by contrasting opinions.
WWC is the closest thing to a home that I have — outside of my immediate family. There are many others who have shared this sentiment, during, as well as before, my time at WWC. Why is it so difficult to be kind to each other when so many of us share this feeling?
Something that is ironically undervalued in a community is kindness to one’s neighbor. There may be a belief that if one is giving back to a group of people or a place, that they must care for it and the people involved. However, living in close proximity has never guaranteed anyone a smile or a helping hand.
It was drilled into my head as a child that there are always going to be people in this world whom I may dislike or am annoyed by. Our job as decent human beings — who share the same stolen and abused land — is to bring value to what we do and who we are. Even the most giving figures will not be liked if they are not kind to those they provide for.
Over the past couple years at WWC, there has been a resounding cry for change. In order to make that change happen, we need to trust that our neighbors and our classmates have good intentions. I strongly believe that no one at this school intentionally wants to harm others.
It has been proven, time and time again by the majority of peers, that no one is willing to let their peers be harmed. The WWC student community has continuously held strong and rose up to support one another in strenuous moments.
Without random acts of kindness and goodness in our hearts, we will never achieve the community that we so desperately crave. Berating others for their views is never going to change their mind or their attitude; it is compassion and communication that really gets through to people. Remember that not everyone is raised in a household where they are taught to express their emotions in an understandable way.
If you have the energy to do one positive thing today, then please go out of your way to do something nice. It may not seem like that person cares much on the surface, but it could have a long lasting impact on their heart. Without actions like this, a welcoming community is nothing but an illusion of something greater.
As the Lorax once said, “unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”