Touchstone
Openheartedness
Welcoming
Confident communities to care about people BEYOND that community in other communities. In addition to the welcome of strangers who are at our doorstep, this is about the strangers we will never meet.
If a community only cares about itself, it will at best become stagnant and self-obsessed or at worst it might become so selfish that it actually restricts the rights of others or attacks them.
Connecting
Knowing about and showing care for the needs of others including complete strangers, is a sign of a strong community. It is what allows us to care about communities in other countries at times of crisis, or because the opportunities they have are less than ours. It is also what allows us to enter the shoes of other people and exercise compassion for those who are doing it tough in our own country.
