Community begins when people open themselves to the lives of others and then allow themselves to be changed by what they discover. It means putting aside the blinders that enable us to move through our neighborhoods mostly oblivious to what is really going on. To be in communion with others, you have to truly notice them, get close, stay for a while, learn, and eventually gain enough trust, so that they feel comfortable communicating the truth of what is happening in their lives. Only then is it possible for you to determine together what can be done that would be of mutual help.
Norman Wirzba
Way of Love