The Importance of Community

“Lend me your ear” for a moment and let me tell you about the rabbit hole I went down a few days ago.

It started with me asking myself why I came back to Vocal, and why I'm still here. (Red flags just went up. Watch for me to be deleted soon.) Seriously, though, Vocal frustrates me at times, in some ways that have nothing to do with the platform itself, and some that do. I'll leave that there, because it's not what this is about.

Now, assuming that people will have the opportunity to read this, I'll get to the point. Of all the potential answers to the aforementioned questions, the one that made the most sense was pretty simple. I'm here because of the community.

Don't panic. I'm not going to get all “lovey-dovey” and stuff. Yes, the other creators on the platform are the community I'm talking about. On the other hand, that doesn't mean that I relate well to them all. In fact, that's part of the point; community isn't all about hearts and flowers. It's about who we encounter and how we grow from the experience.

So, back to the rabbit hole. While I was pondering the definition and scope of “community” it occurred to me that the person I am has been shaped and molded by the communities I've been exposed to over the course of my life. Furthermore, I can see the influence of community on most of the people I'm close to. So, I came up with this idea...

I started thinking about the first community I knew during my childhood. The rabbit hole took a fork and went ever-so-much deeper. I did a little research on what I remembered about the town, played around a bit on Google Maps© and realized I was going to be there a while. Keep in mind that I lived there in the 1950's and haven't been back since. Nevertheless, I'm anxious to write about it, for several reasons that I won't give away in this story. (Hint: It's infamous for something.)

I've also realized that the case will probably be similar for each of the communities I want to write about, so I'm going to try to create a series on the subject that happens to be the title of this story. I hope it won't be as boring as it sounds.

I discarded the idea of weeding through these communities chronologically. That was more difficult than it sounds, because some of the earliest are also the most interesting. In the end, I decided to start with one I “manage” that's extremely important to me and shares some interesting traits with the Vocal community. I'm going to include it as part of this “introductory” story, so readers can decide whether the series is something they're interested in following.

Without further ado, let me introduce you to [insert herald trumpet fanfare]:

The Breakfast Club

What a catchy and original name, don't you think? I'd apologize, if not for the fact that this is an unofficial moniker for an unofficial, informal group and it simply fits. While we move past that, I'll set the stage.

Four years ago, I was having a cup of coffee with a fellow local photographer to discuss the idea of collaborating on a project. As we were wrapping things up and getting ready to leave, he said, “Hey, would you be interested in meeting a bunch of artists?” I'm reasonably sure my response was something like, “Hell, yes!”

The following Friday morning, my wife, Pam and I met him at a popular local restaurant and over the course of a couple of hours, we met about a dozen local artists as they came in and joined us for breakfast. By the time we left, we were hooked. Friday mornings started with the artists' breakfast and it was the highlight of our week.

As we later discovered, the group was already several years old and had met at different restaurants over the years. The photographer that invited us had been invited fairly recently himself, and no one could remember exactly who had originally started the group.

Pam and I began inviting artists that we knew, and before long, the group had grown to twenty to thirty artists, with our own set of long tables set up and reserved every Friday morning. New friends and acquaintances came and went. We literally switched chairs to join different conversations.

During one conversation, someone mentioned that we should have a Facebook group, and another someone recalled that I used Facebook to promote my business enterprises.

I have a debilitating disease, known as “Volunteer Arm.” When someone needs something, my arm raises itself. I can't stop it. I've considered starting a non-profit organization for sufferers of this condition – and their spouses, in support of Pam. In any case, I had the private Facebook group active about an hour after Pam and I left. For lack of better judgment or something, I named it – you guessed it: The Breakfast Club.

I set two rules for the group and the events: 1) We don't discuss politics. 2) We don't discuss religion. Why? Because those are the most divisive subjects I know and we're a very diverse group.

Four years later, I still manage the group and “head up” the breakfasts. I set an event each week and we've managed to organize a few dinners, as well. The setting has changed a couple more times, for various reasons and due to COVID and a few other things, many of the faces have changed.

There are currently 162 members, most of whom are inactive. Our current turnout for breakfast varies between five and twelve, with the latter being an exception that hasn't happened in a while. Still, the Facebook group gives members a place to keep in touch and post notices about shows, etc. Personally, I wouldn't trade this community for the world, and the breakfasts are still the highlight of the week for those of us that can make it.

Here are my two favorite things about our little community:

It's as inclusive as it gets. Artists of any kind, gallery owners, art lovers and those with questions about art are welcome. We don't care about skin color, race, nationality, gender or lack thereof, or sexual preference.

Tolerance has limits. We understand that causes have a place. If you have your own, especially those based on any of the list of what we don't care about, as well as politics or religion, we support your rights, but humbly ask that you don't push your agenda at our gatherings or in our Facebook group. Mostly, we just don't tolerate assholes.

I deal with the people of this community daily. I have important conversations with them outside of the groups. I hug my gay friends. Nothing's rubbed off so far. My black friends know their lives matter to me, although I don't attend BLM rallies. I talk with my liberal friends about issues, though they know I'm a conservative. We agree on what's most important. I personally gain something of value from every interaction.

Before I “put down my pen” it's important to say that I've helped build this community because of communities I was a part of earlier in life that became a part of me. The series, if it comes to fruition, will be about those communities and the values I learned from them. The next in line will probably be the town I mentioned earlier, simply because I can't wait to tell you about it.

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Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed the journey, please leave a heart and a comment. If you really enjoyed it, tips are always appreciated by us poor souls afflicted with Volunteer Arm syndrome (and our loved ones)!