From Rebecca Solnit on Falling Together
From the On Being Project with Krista Tippett
“There’s a way a disaster throws people into the present and sort of gives them this supersaturated immediacy that also includes a deep sense of connection. It’s as though in some violent gift you’ve been given a kind of spiritual awakening where you’re close to mortality in a way that makes you feel more alive; you’re deeply in the present and can let go of past and future and your personal narrative, in some ways. You have shared an experience with everyone around you, and you often find very direct, but also metaphysical senses of connection to the people you suddenly have something in common with.
“And then oftentimes, the people who do the really important work in disasters, which doesn’t get talked about much, are the neighbors. Who’s going to rescue you when your building collapses? When the ice storm comes and the power goes out? It’s probably going to be the neighbors.
“And so the question is really like two things. One is how can we get there without going through a disaster, and …”
—Rebecca Solnit
Do you belong to a community?
Are you a “local”? What makes you one?
Community can be understood through both proximity and the proximate.
Traditional views, such as those of Ferdinand Tönnies, emphasise physical closeness, where Gemeinschaft describes communities formed through shared space and strong interpersonal ties. However, modern perspectives show that proximity alone does not guarantee meaningful connection.
Émile Durkheim highlights how complex societies rely on interdependence rather than emotional closeness, while Benedict Anderson demonstrates that communities can be “imagined,” sustained through shared identity rather than physical interaction. Thus, the proximate—social, emotional, and symbolic closeness—can exist without geographic proximity.
A community, therefore, is best defined as a network of relationships shaped not only by spatial nearness but by the depth of connection, shared meaning, and ongoing interaction among its members.
Engaging with local community groups—especially neighbours—matters because it strengthens both everyday life and broader social wellbeing.
At the most immediate level, neighbours are the people you are in closest proximity to, making them the most accessible source of support. Regular interaction builds trust, which can translate into practical benefits like sharing resources, improving safety, and providing help in emergencies. These repeated, face-to-face encounters also foster what sociologists call social cohesion—a sense of belonging and mutual responsibility.
From a theoretical perspective, engaging with neighbours helps move relationships from impersonal coexistence toward the more connected form described by Ferdinand Tönnies as Gemeinschaft. It transforms mere proximity into the proximate—meaningful social ties. Similarly, it strengthens the kind of shared norms and trust that Émile Durkheim associated with social solidarity.
Ultimately, connecting with neighbours turns a place of residence into a community, enhancing wellbeing, resilience, and a sense of belonging.