Throughout history, people have banded together for economic and social reasons (as we still do today) but also to build a common defense against their enemies. Because governments and hired law enforcement now handle defense, safety is less of a factor in the choice of whom a person selects to be in their family or community.

This relatively new act of delegating security results in more choices for the average person. The family’s historical role of protection has faded and people are now choosing who their families are.

With the pressure off of the family as the sole source of a person’s life, the option to build a community of like-minded individuals is now available. But it’s not because the family failed; it’s because people want more than a family can, or was designed, to provide: additional intellectual stimulation, similar activities and interests, common commitments, professional development, and other group endeavors and projects.

The virtual communities of today are formed out of natural attraction, based on values rather than protective need. Humans now have complete freedom to band together to create things, free of the constraints of the expectations of others or institutions.

Your community and your family may be the same, totally separate, or somewhere in the middle. The point is that you are free to develop a community based on choice, not on need. And as you strengthen your Personal Foundation, imagine what you can cook up with the members of your community, out of choice.

Carpe diem,