Bishop Carroll High School
Wichita, Kansas
Teacher: Angie Etheredge  

Our Responsibility in Communities
by Kristin Martin
9th grade

A controversy started about what Christmas trees should be called a few years ago.  There were the traditional people who wanted it to be called the Christmas tree, and then there was a group of people who wanted it to be called the Community Tree.  What does community mean to us these days?  The modern definition of community is somewhat based on personal opinion and most people believe it to be a warm and fuzzy feeling, but community is so much more than that, it is a responsibility.

If one asked someone about how they felt about their world, national, or local community, they will probably say that they care about them in some aspects but they do not feel much community towards them.  Of course, there is not as much of a meaning here because there are a very large amount of people that they do not know.  All the same, there is a purpose of community because most everyone can relate to specific problems that apply to their beliefs or region.  The outside world is a community that most people do not think about.  That is a shame because they are missing out on greater opportunities to make their life more worthwhile.

Another area in which we feel community is our family.  This is not only our nuclear family, but also our extended family and our ancestors.  People feel community towards their family because the family forms a person.  It shapes a person.  It gives a person a specific character.   A person will feel community towards their family because That person feels somewhat in debt to those people.   It makes one look at himself or herself in the inner most being and see all of the things that are common between them and other family members.  That feels almost ironic when you look at these people and see that they suffered or are suffering with the same problems one might be experiencing now.  They probably also suffered from the lack of an artistic gene in the family like one’s self, and they are usually from about the same class of society.  They are some of the best people to talk because they are stuck with the same problems.

The last form of community is close friends.  This community, even though it is not as close as the family, plays a special role in a person’s life.  The thing that that sets it apart from other communities is the fact that it usually consists of or at least contain peers.  Peers are always there, whether we like it or not. They are there in celebration and in sadness.  After a while, these people can become a second family.  If something were to go wrong in the family, we lapse back to friends.  Plus another nice thing is that if they do not prove up to the test, they can be replaced.  Even though most people do not realize it, their friends are almost as vital the family. Truly, friends are a gift that most people take for granted until they lose it.

One community that is really unique to me is my neighborhood.  The majority of my neighbors are relatives because we live on estate land.  This community, to me, gives a whole new meaning to going next door to borrow a cup of sugar.  It is not just like my regular extended family, because this is like family within family.  We share land and cats.  Our games can leek into other yards. And, most importantly, we expect everyone to look after the other.  It is one big win-win situation.

Equally important to all of the previous mentioned points are the responsibilities that go along with community.  Most people think of community as the warm and fuzzy feeling a person gets when they here the national anthem.  Community is so much more than that.  It is a responsibility to all of the people involved in a community, even when a feeling of community toward them does not exist.  In the outside world, part of one’s responsibility is to stand up for the lives of unborn children and to make sure the poor and oppressed of our community receive the attention they need.  In a person’s family, the task is to help those relatives who gave so much when long ago and now are in need of help in return.  At church, school, or with friends, the responsibility is to be there when one is needed, just like they are always there for us.  That is the most important part of community, and it needs to be made known.   

All in all, community exists in the outside world, in the family, and in peers. Moreover, community is not just a feeling, but it is a responsibility that requires one to care for those who they do not feel for.  If only people would realize that community is a responsibility, the world would be a better place to live in.  People just need to get over their emotions and realize that there are also suffering people out there in our community that need our help.  That is what we need in society.  That is community.

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