We don’t actually have a verb “to community,” but we need one.

We have morphed from extended families to nuclear families to couples and singles, from neighborhoods to isolated apartments. Some of us have lost the talent for community.

We demonize the “other.” We form, not communities, but polarizing forces.

This is not to say we should attempt a return to a nonexistent past. May we avoid the danger of thinking the past was a glorious time of togetherness. It certainly wasn’t for many “different” and left out people.

We have, however, been captured by a value system of things. Fewer people in bigger houses. More time on our digital devices and less physical time with friends. Less eating together and more solitary meals.

Being happy while alone is not a bad thing in itself. Solitude in a busy world can bless.

But when solitude turns into disconnectedness, we may need “to community.”