WHAT IS A COMMUNITY?

Today marks exactly one year from when me and my two kids finally stepped off from our neighbor's roof after two days of Ondoy's deluge.  There were several lessons I derived from this experience that similarly affects organizations in itself.  I want to invite you to reflect on this analogy and how we can adapt to it.

We weren't even on our own roof since our house had a protracted roof design so I had to swim across raging floodwaters a total of 5 times to bring my 2 kids, my in laws even our dog to the house across the street.

By the time the clock struck 6pm the waters had reached the second floor of our house so we had to make a decision to stay and perish, or take the risk. 

In a cruel twist of fate all our windows were weld shut, no emergency exits.  You don't think of this stuff when everything's fine and sunny.  One brave neighbor had to swim under the waters to find their saw and hand it to me amidst the risk. I simply knew I didn't have enough time. Again our good neighbor tied a tire interior to downed power lines and threw it our way.  With the help of 3 guys I was able to shuttle my family to the other side.

It wasn't much of a picnic on the other side either.  We were a total of about 5 families on that roof since it was the nearest and highest.  For the next two days and nights we had to endure the cold nights and scorching daytime sun.  Only the kids were the ones who ate since supplies were scarce. 

We barely made it with very little resources and a lot of natural curveballs thrown our way, but after 2 days of sun, rain, hunger and mosquitoes we made it out alive.

I know others had it worse and lost loved ones during that event.  Looking back now there were 2 things I realized with this experience:

1.) Problems redefine priorities - A lot of furniture, clothing, jewelry and appliances were lost during that storm.  Coming down from that roof we knew we were carrying with us nothing else but our most valued possesion; our family alive and intact.

Problems regardless of magnitude can disturb, shake up and distress anyone.  Just look at how many lives were directly affected, even the ones in non affected areas and how a nation's emotion was stirred just watching the sequence of events. 

Adversity has it's way of changing at how we view things, and how we put them in their proper perspective.  In the movie "The Day The Earth Stood Still" humankind underwent an ideological cleansing of sorts facing the possibility of extinction.  We were in fact facing the same situation.  Had the waters risen any further there was no other place for us to go.  And for most of us the thought of our own mortality does redefine suddenly our priorities. 

Some experts say the likelihood of Ondoy happening again is next to nill.  Nobody believes these "experts" anymore and honestly I don't care.  Myself like a majority of people affected by Ondoy and Peping understand the perils.  We saw death right in the eye; children, women, dogs and elderly people included.  Anyone who has been in a traumatic experience can either tremble in the thought of a reoccurrence or they would grin and say "Bring it on!" 

Oh and by the way my kids were laughing the whole time I was leading them across the fllodwaters!

Which leads me to realization number....

2.)  Community is more powerful than unity - John Maxwell said in one of his talks that it is literally impossible to achieve the notion of unity because it meant everyone in the organization all agreed.  If you believe that he says, you're probably smoking something. 

A world, organization or entity that NEVER disagreed on anything is impossible.  Unity can be achieved on one or several goals and visions, but not exclusively on every ingredient and methodology on how to achieve it.  Everybody can be united on issues of world peace, climate change or how to reach this year's quota.  But when the question emerges on HOW to achieve it, unity goes right out of the window. 

Community on the other hand is closer to the truth as possible and is readily achievable.  When you are in a community, it is automatic to presume that we have differing opinions and don't normally see eye to eye.  We accept it as a fact that we don't always agree, but the key factor in a sense of community is that all of us understand and acquiesce that we are part of ONE team. 

We can have our disagreements here and there, heck some might not even like how you look but eventually surrender to the bigger picture, that all of us form a singular organization, a sum bigger than it's parts. 

I didn't even know the names of those people who helped me and family during that time of crisis, but helped nonetheless.  Could they have had any pre-ordained assumptions on who I was a a neighbor?  Maybe, but helped nonetheless.  Could I have slighted them in any way even inadvertently in the past that might have changed their dispositions?  Maybe, but helped nonetheless.         

Look at your team right now.  In the face of problems and imminent risk, do they bind together or scurry off in different directions? Is everyone united in celebrating this year's success but scattered and indifferent when the numbers were low the last?  

Rather the usual united hoopla that happens during plenary meetings, try to establish a culture that will say "I may not have agreed with your idea, but I will support it nonetheless" then go ahead and celebrate it afterwards.

Build that level of confidence and trust in each other through the highs and lows.  And when the lows do come up, grab each other by the hand and say..

BRING IT ON!!!