Where would we be without it?
Happy Sunday. Last week I wrote about the purpose and role of friction in modern life and the creative process. The essay highlighted how, in a bid to reduce day-to-day friction, we’ve simplified modern life to the point that we spend way too little time with others, thus causing or at least contributing to the loneliness epidemic. I’ve spent the last few days thinking about this, and as is usually the case, when I latch on to something, I see examples everywhere.
This week, I’d like to explore these ideas further within the context of community and togetherness. Almost no one exists in isolation, and most people have family, friends, neighbours, co-workers and so on. Some of us are lucky enough to have good relationships with those who make up our village, but even so, modern society is set up so that the majority have been convinced to give up our community by corporations and systems that, to paraphrase Trevor Noah, monetise and sell the same community and its concomitant benefits back to us. Let me explain.
The zeitgeist of modern society – especially in developed, western countries like the UK – is characterised by individualism. It’s ingrained in us from an early age that we must make our way and define ourselves as individuals. Young people should aspire to “fly the nest” as soon as possible, to gain independence from their parents and guardians and stand on their own two feet. On one hand, one can hardly argue with this message. Who doesn’t want to embark on a journey to figure out who they are and what they’d like to do with their life? Who doesn’t want to make memories, engage in new experiences, and do things their new-found independence affords?
On the other hand, however, the price we pay for this so-called independence is the risk of isolation from the community, and an interruption or outright cessation of its services and benefits. For a good example of this, I’ll refer back to Trevor Noah’s podcast, where he talks about how working parents in developed countries have to pay for babysitters and/or hire nannies to look after their little ones, whereas in a close-knit community setting, the likes of which still exist in the developing world, there would be no shortage of family and friends – mothers, siblings, in-laws, neighbours – who’d happily step in to look after the young, because it’s just the done thing, and it takes a village, literally. Trevor Noah put it best when he said on his podcast…
“...as a country gets more and more developed, the one thing that gets eroded is community. The village disappears…and you have to buy your village back…” – Trevor Noah
This is just one example, and there are many more. Last week I cited how food delivery services purport to remove friction from our lives but just end up making us lonelier. We’ve accepted this as the status quo, but we need only ask why we need these services in the first place to see how modern society has taken us far from our community-centric roots. In this scenario, why does the individual in question live alone? Why are there no family members around to cook and eat together? Why are there no friends and neighbours nearby they can go to for food? Why is there no community-centric hub, club or third space in close proximity they can go to for refreshments and entertainment?
If it isn’t already clear, I’m not blaming any one individual, nor am I suggesting that people who experience loneliness just need to try harder to foster community and build relationships. Rather, I’m suggesting that modern society is structured this way, whether by design or accident, the result being people are being robbed of community ties, which I’d argue is essential for the growth and nourishment of individuals and by extension, society as a whole.
This is the part of the essay where I ask, as I tend to do, what does this have to do with art and creativity? Well, communities shape who we are as individuals, and art is perhaps the purest expression of our individuality. Furthermore, we often engage with and consume art with others, as part of a community, and I got to see a first-hand illustration of this a few days ago.
Just last weekend I was fortunate enough to play some live music as part of the Levenshulme Square Festival. Every summer, a couple of streets in a Levenshulme neighbourhood in Manchester are blocked off for a few hours, and the community comes together to enjoy food and drink, sing, dance and engage with one another. When I learned about this event and was invited to play some music, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that such things exist, and when I turned up on the day, my mind was blown in the best way possible. It warmed my heart to see people of all creeds come together, and I couldn’t help but think we’d all be better off if there were more events like this in more neighbourhoods across the country, and the world.
This is all to say that art can (and does) play a central role in shaping community ties, and I dare say there’s a causal relationship between the erosion of community ties in society and the value we place on the creation and consumption of art. We would value art (and artists) more if we were more in touch with community, and in engaging with art in our community settings, we could also draw the inspiration we need to make more art that’s true to who we are, thus enabling us to be our best selves in our respective communities. We've been doing this, making art in community settings since the dawn of time. After all, those cave paintings and handprints discovered by archaeologists paint a picture of prehistoric peoples making art with their respective communities.
So, to answer the question in the subtitle of this essay, where would we be without community? We’d be nowhere, little better than ice floes lost in the vast oceans of this big blue planet we find ourselves on. And who wants that?
My new album, Hope on the Horizon, is out everywhere now. Not a fan of streaming and want to support my music? You can download a digital version or buy a CD now here. Thank you for listening, spreading the word, and reaching out to share your thoughts. I appreciate it. Have a great week.