Reflection Of A Community: The Perceptions Of The Community

The development of communities is a topic that is frequently discussed in the media, school, and daily conversation. However, even though the concept of community is extremely familiar, it is especially difficult to discretely define. Over the course of the semester, my own perceptions of the community that I am fundamentally a member of as a resident of Tucson have evolved greatly. Much of this growth can be attributed to learning to think more critically about the ideas of place and community through various class discussions about social systems, traditions, history, and numerous other aspects related directly to Tucson. To me, a community is a rather abstract and personal concept making it impossible to pinpoint an exact definition, but

One of the last class discussion was led by Casey Condit, a representative from a non-profit children’s grief service called Tu Nudito. During this particular discussion, as a class we were asked to pass around what we called a “talking stick” and share a major loss we have had in our life. Although it was an especially uncomfortable experience for me as I do not enjoy talking about depressing things such as death, sickness, and heartache, this activity taught me a powerful lesson about communities. As each of my classmates shared their most tender stories and heart wrenching losses and I was eventually able to share my own, a special kind of feeling entered the room. Even though I have had class with the same people all semester, I did not personally know the majority of my classmates; however, as each of us allowed ourselves to become just a little bit more vulnerable to emotion, I realized that empathy and emotional understanding make it possible to catch a glimpse into the hearts of those I do not even know and develop the deepest kind of human connection. By stepping back and attempting to understand the emotions and perspectives of others instead of resorting to judgement, empathy can strengthen relationships and foster an atmosphere of love and support that can help make a foreign place feel like home and strangers feel like