One of the mantras of Big Society is that we all need to find time to do more, to give more, to help others more.<\/p>\n
Now we can moan about this being poorly timed, or a fig leaf for cuts or whatever. \u00a0But this misses the real point.<\/p>\n
Which is that,\u00a0in my book, it completely\u00a0misunderstands the nature of community, why we need it and how it helps. \u00a0It seems to go against the grain of human nature and millenia of evolutionary biology. \u00a0Because for most of us, most of the time what motivates us to act is our own self interest. \u00a0How we make things better for ourselves and our loved ones.<\/p>\n
Most communities don’t develop as expressions of human kindness and generosity. \u00a0They don’t build around some desire to ‘place make’. Or around shared public statements of\u00a0values, intent and\u00a0belief. \u00a0Congregations maybe. \u00a0And cults. \u00a0 But not real, diverse, vibrant communities. \u00a0There are plenty of ‘place making consultancies’ that tell us otherwise, and politicians who really value compliance over powerful communities. \u00a0But real\u00a0communities (as opposed to planners confections)\u00a0develop as a social\u00a0response\u00a0to a multiplicity of self-interests being negotiated.<\/p>\n
Real communities develop because they help their members to live the kind of lives that they\u00a0want\u00a0to lead. \u00a0They are a human evolutionary response to attaining a competitive edge. To help us survive and then with good fortune, thrive. Community helps members to explore their potential and develop their lives as they would wish.<\/p>\n
So the starting point for the process of community building is not finding more time to help others (laudable though this is) or philanthropy or some demonstration of\u00a0social\u00a0responsibility. \u00a0It is a thorough understanding of self interest; of the kind of life you wish to lead and the potential that you wish to develop. \u00a0As this becomes clear so to will those with whom you have to make common cause, with whom you have to co-operate and perhaps compete.<\/p>\n
And as you start to understand\u00a0that your self interest can only be met in relationship with others, and they understand the same then the development of\u00a0vibrant\u00a0and\u00a0real\u00a0community, as opposed to some Orwellian fiction that ‘shapes character to that chosen by the electorate’.<\/p>\n
Which is why I advocate, as the starting point for community\u00a0development, not community\u00a0organisers, but community coaches, who help people to clarify their own self interest and to build their power. \u00a0Which they nearly always do by building their networks and relationships. \u00a0And once we have a critical mass of\u00a0people\u00a0pursuing their self interest with power and compassion through\u00a0constructive\u00a0engagement and association, lo and behold, we have a community with oomph, with enterprise. \u00a0We have ‘Big Society’.<\/p>\n
Simples.<\/p>\n