Complex Relationships

In its simplest form, a relationship is between two discrete entities as between two objects (the table is on the rug) or between two people (Sue and Frank are dating each other). There are also what we might call amorphous entities which can be complex collections of discrete entities. A community is such an entity.
Communities are made up of people. A person is a relatively discrete entity. I say "relatively" because we tend to think of a person as that entity contained within a specific skin bag but, in fact, we are each incredibly complex. Nevertheless, communities are more complex by a factor of how many people there are in the community.

In addition, communities also have relationships with other communities. Therefore, many of the characteristics of relationships between discrete entities are also true for relationships between amorphous entities. For example, just as some people have a fiduciary responsibility for the welfare of others (as a teacher for her students) so do some organizations have responsibility for the welfare of other organizations (as a bank for the investments of a corporation).

Nevertheless, relationships between amorphous entities are likely to appear simpler because they have to be able to condense down to clear terms the nature of the relationship. This is why it is so important for organizations to have a mission statement. Without it, the boundaries and agendas become too diverse and too fuzzy...too amorphous.

My vision is for a community in which all of the members are intentional about how they create themselves, their relationships with other individuals, and their role in the mission of the broader community.