Transforming Society (2) - Community Crushed

Modern societies have been gutted by industrialisation and urbanisation. In recent times, globalisation has made things worse. Community life has been shattered by several modern trends.

• Industrialisation
• Urbanisation
• Nationalism
• Commercialisation
• Bureaucratic social services
• Suburban lifestyle
• Commuting to work
• Consumerism
• Mass entertainment
• Individualism
• Family breakdown
• Migration
• Social Mobility

The collapse of community is greatest in modern cities, where migration and urbanisation have broken down traditional community relationships. Social mobility prevents stable relationships from developing and family life is breaking down. Life is characterised by loneliness and personal insecurity.

Communities are fragmented and people are lonely and isolated. As communities have broken down and fear has risen, high fences have gone up between houses isolating people from each other. This isolation means that most people do not belong to the community where they live.

Modern government has attempted to fill the gap by holding society together, but has failed and social breakdown is endemic. Worse still, the government solution has choked the life from local communities at the neighbourhood level.

The aggregation and accumulation of political power to the modern state has led to the bizarre situation where needs are concentrated in individuals, but power and money is concentrated in the national state. This leaves families and individuals powerless before a faceless government.

Church has become part of the problem, becoming something that we drive to, not a thing that shapes the community where we live. Most modern churches are almost as socially fragmented as the rest of society.