To Aklie & whom it may concern:
One must relize the good in everything, if there is good to be found of course. And perhaps even the opposite extent of that.
I had raised the issue briefly of my brief experience in "community" in the Buddhism & Christianity thread. Feeling bound to honor my fellow brothers and the community it's self for the positives it imparted on me, and for the struggles we share, and for just existing there for us, I feel the responsiblity to highlight some of the more *easily* seen good attributes of "community". Which I will attempt to do in brevity.
One may wonder why I do not publicly give the fuller name of "community"? This is basicly two part. 1) I wish to avoid the wrath of it's members. And as long as I'm vague, I presume their "charity" will not extend so far my direction. 2) For all my disagreement with certain things, and dislike for certain things, I hold a deep affection for community and it's brothers and sisters and wish not to harm it's identity.
I hope by my highlighting of some of the great aspects of community, Catholic readers will gain a greater pride in their Catholicism. Also I hope the readers on this board will be able to make a more fair ballanced assesment of a Catholic "community" I have been describing from the Buddhism & Christianity thread.
``````````````````````````````````````````````````
"Community can't be told only experienced"
These are the common words, and true words, often expressed by seasoned members of "community". In this way community shares something in common with war. Neither can be given their justice in words both must be experienced to fully be appreciated.
Good secular people, have to my understanding, three main philosophical discernments of life - if this is what it can be called. They would seem to often group people into three institutional phases of life: a) religious; b) law abiding secular; and c) those outside of the law - best expressed in prison.
A Catholic person, who more then likely will be canonized a saint one day, has developed a fourth phase of life (if you want to call it that). "Community". Their are no pre maddonas in community, they come from the best backgrounds of life i.e. PHD's, and upper mobiles. But more often then not they come from the worst societies of life i.e. bank robbers, prison gang members, combat veterens, street thugs, prostitutes.
All men live together, the rare sight of a woman, is rare thrill. The order of the place verges on par excellence. The leadership positions in community is not given by way of age, but by way of time in community, and what is considered "good living". It is not uncommon for early or mid twenty somethings to be running the entire show. And even for those 20's that aren't at the top of the food chain, but have been in community for a number of years. Their level of maturity is approximately at the age of early to mid thirties. In my assesment 20 something year old community members far outpace US military personal of the same age, in maturity. Leadership in community is often not without humility. Unlike traits to be found in military or professional civilian life. Though a certain arrogance of God-given rightness tends to accompany goal setting attitudes i.e. make another suffer without exception to shape him into what you want him to be.
Unlike military or civilan life where one can just do what he/she is supposed to and not worry about being made to suffer. This does not exist in community. As my mentor in community explained to me - in his words: "community is suffering Christs humiliation on the cross." One does not need to "break rules or custom" in community to suffer and be tested. One only need be in community.
Now there are many things of community which verge on the status of cult. Which I will not even dare to mention less the reader logicaly determine the institution to be a cult.
But even cults can have their good. And community has many of them (goods). Tai Chi was mentioned on the other thread and monastic prayer exercise, regarding physical exercise. Community believes heavily in men being athletic (not so much so for women) so sports are required. And the competetive level is no less then any amature secular group of men out playing whatever sport on a weekend. Infact it is probably higher. A good amount of aggression is displayed and competetive will to win. You play even if your injured, unless your to injured to play. But in community pissing blood does not equal to injured to play, at least not in self disciplin terms - as one of the two 20 something year old guys that ran the place would play soccer, stopping so often to go piss out the blood in his blatter. The other 20 something leader played with a hole carved out of his leg from a resulted bite of a poisones spider. Both studs played to win without exception.
For a few weeks, from the often played sports that thrashed my body, I would wake in the middle of the night from the pain shooting my legs never to be able to go back to sleep. Only to rise and go do physical work in the garden that often required digging and wheel barrows. Then to play sports again (often soccer) at the end of the day.
From the basketball court I got my eyebrow busted open, heads colliding attempting to recover an escaped basketball, same team members mind you
but both of tried to get to the ball first. Even though my busted eye required seven stiches, I got the better of the deal, which I attributed my busted eye to the Virgin Mary, because I got a hospital visit that on the way resulted in the meeting an observation of a well shaped and busty Peruvian woman. Oooe la la.
The responsibiltiy layed on the shoulders of both the two young leaders of community, and their rise to that task, is on level with that of an E-4 in the US Marine Corps. E-4's in the Marine Corps are often tasked with a greater amount of responsibility then that of the other sister services. So E-4 Army, Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard would not fit into this equation. No civilian sector job, outside of one running his/her own buisness, can land on the same playing field as this. Except a number of positions in the civilian sector, but those are positions held most often if not always, by persons of the minimume age of mid to late forties. Although the E-4 Marine (often in his twenties himself) in my assesment is on the level playing field of responsibilty as that of the community leader(s). I would have to say that in all honesty the community leaders rise ahead in maturity aspect, and health of mind, when it comes to stress level of leadership. The only way I personal appreciate Marine E-4 leadership over that of community is the Marine E-4 willingnes to back up every attitude with his fists. Other then that the E-4 Marine lacks in many ways to that of the community leader, in my opinion.
I have confidence that if the two young 20 something year old studs, I had the pleasure of being lead under, where tasked with the responsiblity of supervising the construction of a civilain bridge two miles in length, and the construction of track houses two miles away from the bridge site. They could both single handedly supervise both at the same time. Given the right resources and people.
There is also a great amount of forgiveness done in community amongst the brothers (I'll assume of course the sisters). Your average Catholic on the street would never forgive another person for threating to end their life. In community such things brothers forgave one another for. Life goes on. There was uncharitable things I didn't like, but that's not what I was to talk about in this thread.
Learning to look at a woman and notice her beauty without connecting that with bedding her, is highly stressed. For most men though this does not come over night to truely develope.
+++
Hope my post can offer a little Catholic pride to the Catholic. And be a better ballance in fairness. There are things about community I personaly will continue to feel need to be reformed though. In my opinion - more Christ like. Many people were driven out, putting in great effort, because of certain ways of the community which I personaly feel are far less then Christ like. Most of this didn't have so much to do with me, as my objection to the treatment of others. But I feel that all of the guys I came to know are great persons. And they have my deepest respect and loyalty.
Justin