For most of human history, community wasn’t something we needed to seek out, it was woven into daily life. Extended families lived together or nearby. Work, caregiving, ritual, and survival were shared. Identity was relational: people were more deeply known because we were so intimately involved in the day to day inner workings of each other’s lives.
Modern life has quietly undone our sense of belonging. Industrialization pulled labor out of the home. Urbanization separated people from kin networks. Capitalism rewarded mobility over efficiency and rooted connection with the natural world. Independence over interdependence. Social media scaled connection while hollowing out true intimacy. Research shows that the increase in social media usage is associated with higher rates of anxiety, depression, and poor sleep.
Today, we live inside a paradox. We are constantly connected and increasingly alone.
And yet, we are finding ways back to one another: book clubs that last for years, study circles, shared meals, walking groups, mutual aid groups, community choirs. These acts of collective repair quietly mend the social fabric, relying on time, repetition, and shared attention.
Collective repair requires skills many of us were never taught: choosing to stay in a conversation, even when things feel awkward, repairing instead of disappearing, allowing relationships to change us over time.
At Viva Institute, we see community as a practice. Through study, ritual, conversation, and care offered over time, we show up for one another, imperfectly but consistently. Disconnection didn’t happen overnight, and repair won’t either—but history shows that this is how social worlds are rebuilt: together.
Discussion
Where in your own community — your neighborhood, your city, your daily life — have you found (or could you find) a small, unexpected place of connection?