At home, I’d be considered a small-town kid, but I wouldn’t dare try to put myself into that category here in Iowa. When I moved into the dorms my first year here, the people I met bickered about, in the midst of introductions, who was from a smaller town. The categories and classifications for what a small town is quite amusing — from the number of stoplights, or lack thereof, and how many streets there were, to how long it took news to spread and whether they’d yet built a McDonald’s.

These are amusing qualifications for the size of town you live in. By these standards, the town I grew up in would probably be a notch up from “small town” life. There is a definite community in my hometown, with places for worship, recreation, shopping and education. But what makes up a town, regardless of size, doesn’t say anything about the sense of belonging that comes about from living in that community. A community does not demand residency, but encourages interaction and common concerns. Communities are not just a place to live. There are no definite geographic bounds for a community, and it can be with you no matter where you go.

Although I haven’t lived in the community I grew up in for almost three years, I still remain tied to its political and social events. The electronic age has created a compression of time and space — we can have access to information quickly. As much as I have access to information on my own, it also makes it easier for people to find me. After a recent court ruling regarding Native Hawaiian rights, I had e-mails, instant messages, voicemails and text messages to let me know. The electronic revolution has dramatically enhanced what a community can be, far beyond the confines of geography.

Although communities are known for cooperation and a sense of belonging, not all parts of creating a community are spurred by positive events. A fight for a common cause brings a group of people together to form a community. While the events might be negative, they are still true to the qualities of what a community is. Adversity brings the community together, and members will be more adamant about their adhesiveness when faced with hardship.

Everyone in a community needs to passionately participate in what goes on, whether it is positive or negative. The constant unity of the community is what makes it possible to get so much accomplished. Scholar Mary Kawena Pukui tells us, “‘A’ohe hana nui ka ‘alu ‘ia” — united we stand, divided we fall. Communities are also good at supporting each other in times of need. People have a second nature for being there for anyone who needs emotional support. Communities are also quick to lend a helping hand if someone needs a favor.

Communities are not exclusive. Anyone can become a member of a community. Even though I may not be an in-state student, I feel just as much a part of this university than a student from Iowa. The same goes for a community in a town, and on one is an outsider forever. Being away from home and being around other types of communities have helped me to see the operations and variations of communities.

As beneficial and common as communities are, no two are entirely the same. People in communities are not reproductions of one another, and each member of a community has the right to believe his or her own things and have his or her own views. It is a strong point of a community that people have different views, as long as they keep a level of respect for one another.

Different kinds of communities will have different sorts of values, and the people of these communities will associate with them based on the values they have. But the fact that members in communities are individuals with separate minds leaves them free to make their own decisions, including those about what other groups to associate themselves with. Communities can be as influential as families in creating your base of values and making you into the person you are and will become.

Communities are everywhere. Two words that are part of the word community are common and unity. Everyone has a community — it’s just a place where he or she fit in, feel comfortable and things fit into place. As you feel comfortable enough in your hometown to call it your home, a group that you call a community is also a home. The time old phrase, “home is where the heart is” is true — being a community doesn’t mean you have to live there, but instead have your heart and participation there.