by Carol Rucker

Created on: August 11, 2011   Last Updated: August 12, 2011

“Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. ” The Bible King James Version: Ecclesiastes 4: 9-10

So many people face each day in isolation when there are communities waiting to welcome them with open arms. Singles resign themselves to never finding love. Widows and widowers spend years grieving in solitude. Orphans drift through one foster home after another and homeless persons live on the street believing no one cares. These grieving souls settle into lonely circumstances. In their sadness over what might have been, they accept isolation as their fate when they could easily turn to a community of friends to fill their needs.

Community is a common theme in poetry, literature and song. It is a simple concept found throughout the Bible from beginning to end. In Genesis, Eve became Adam's wife because the Lord decided his life alone was “not good.” Ecclesiastes 4: 9-10 portrays the reward for community as having a companion to help when you need it most. That's the big idea behind community that makes it a wiser choice than living in solitude.

The benefits of community

Henry David Thoreau is well known for shunning civilization. He moved deep into the woods where nature was his faithful companion; but he was never completely alone. Thoreau built his modest cabin on land owned by his dear friend, Ralph Waldo Emerson. Emerson sometimes visited his friend in his wooded hideaway to make sure he had what he needed and to lift his spirits. Thoreau also made regular visits to his family a few miles away. He lived in isolation for only two years and two months. After collecting the facts and anecdotes for his book, he returned to his community of friends and family. Thoreau may have been memorialized for his life of solitude at Walden Pond, but he knew the benefits of community.

 -Friendship

The concept of friendship hasn't changed much since you were a child. Adult friends talk, laugh and have fun together. They keep each other company. If one falls, the other helps him get back on is feet. Friends think of each other fondly when they aren't together and call on the phone when they just want to talk. As a child, your friendships were important; but as you grew older, you may have found yourself coping with illness, death and other hard circumstances by pulling away from

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