Finster 1

Brandon A. Finster

Professor Watkins

English-1113 55L

31 January 2019

How I Could Be a Better Communitarian

I am interested in activities enjoyable in the moment but at the same time sustainable and

beneficial to me as well as the community. This could explain why I decided to go back to

school since I see it as a way I could keep myself occupied with positive habits like studying and

writing since they help me improve my future prospects and help me develop more experiences.

However, I could complement these independents pursuits with communitarian endeavors since I

could gain additional support from others and build character from the different experiences I go

through. Changing my more independent perspective to a more communitarian one, I would be

able to make more connections with others and focus on different communal habits beneficial to

me and those around me.

One way I could develop communal habits is by trying to help some of the students who

may want assistance with some of their college classes. This could, additionally, allow me to

learn from them, causing both of us to gain from the other. A lot of us are still new to a college

environment, so if we exchange ideas with each other, it could help us approach problems that

may occur throughout our time in school differently. I could make this more sociable

environment a reality by choosing to incorporate actions such as being sociable, answering

questions, or even asking them. Naturally, this may sprout a few worthwhile relationships if I

and the other student or students desire it to be so. The added benefit of increased familiarity
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with other students may help me produce a more welcoming school environment for me and

those I choose to engage with. Bridging the gap between my fellow students, I could grant

myself access to a richer and wider social network, allowing me extra support when It comes to

different avenues of my life, ranging from personal encouragement to academic assistance.

However, being a gregarious student may not be the only way I could implement actions

promoting a more communal society since focusing on being a agreeable neighbor may be a

striking way for me to dive into desirable habits as well. The time to initiate a discussion could

be when new neighbors first become interlinked with the neighborhood Since it is often our first

impression causing our personal engagement or lack of engagement with others. If we do not

promote the development of neighborly activities, it could possibly result in negative

repercussions within the collective community. The Author Malcolm Gladwell in The Tipping

Point put forth a theory known as “broken windows,” which the article “Being a Good

Neighbor” summarizes," how even small things that are done or left undone in a neighborhood

could spur crime rates up or down,” (Brotherton). I believe this could possibly explain increases

in pettier crimes such as vandalism or littering in run-down communities, so if I take the time to

contribute to the neighborhood by engaging with the people of the neighborhood directly by

caring for my personal property, choosing to help others with their own, and being neighborly in

general. The reason it could be agreeable for me to help in the neighborhood is it could be a

worthwhile experience applicable to my life further on while also benefitting the social

environment I reside in.

Starting with my neighborhood, I could develop more of a willingness to work with

organizations in Stillwater who address crucial issues in the community. I can decide to

volunteer since it is a way I can make a direct impact within my community. There are many
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organizations who would want assistance from me as well as other young students who are

mobile and are willing to help. Some of these organizations would be willing to work with less

experienced people since they know these fresh applicants can cultivate skills to take on more

difficult types of contributions later. It could be beneficial for me to connect with the community

since it is natural for people to be part of a group bound in mutual respect and a sense of

responsibility for one and other. The article “If You Were an Elephant” explains how, “humans

live longer if they are plugged into a church, a mosque or a bowling club. Yes, at some level

your altruism might be reciprocal altruism, where you scratch my back if I scratch yours,”

(Foster). This shows how people have almost an intrinsic bond with one another from our

common roots. If choose to take part in more municipal actions helping those who need it with

the general community I am in, I could further connect with the people who live within the same

local surroundings.

If I choose to develop more sociable traits by taking more active in the community, it

could grant me tighter bonds while allowing me to take part in developing a more communal

environment. This can be as simple as reaching out to others in my classes by helping them with

problems they may have on their assignments to assisting neighbors who might appreciate

welcoming greetings from me when they first become part of the neighborhood. Furthermore, I

could further extend these habits if I choose to contribute within the community by volunteering

since it could increase my respect for the society that I was raised in. Also, centering my efforts a

little more on social efforts, it could encourage me since it can grant me additional social

support. There's an ample amount of ways I could be active within the community, but only if I

approach them from a more communitarian perspective.

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Works Cited
Brotherton, Marcus. “Being a Good Neighbor”. The Art of Manliness, 26 Oct. 2018,
www.artofmanliness.com/articles/on-being-neighborly/.
Foster, Charles, “. If You Were an Elephant” ... The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 19
Jan. 2017, www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jan/19/if-you-were-an-elephant-