Purpose & Vision

Loss of Community

There is a great loneliness in the world. Even individuals with many people in their lives often lack a depth of healthy communication and connection.

There is also growing polarization, division, and a lack of civility. We have lost the ability to see, hear and appreciate the dignity in each other. We have almost forgotten the “glory of what it means to be human.”

Over 30 years ago, M. Scott Peck M.D., renowned author of The Road Less Traveled and The Different Drum, called these phenomena the “loss of true Community,” and saw them as the source of many of our societal ills. In many ways he was ahead of his time.

An Epidemic of loneliness

Today, thought leaders from business, politics, healthcare, human services, and academia have confirmed Dr. Peck’s diagnosis. The following is from a recent study from the USA Surgeon General entitled An Epidemic of Loneliness (2023):

“Trust in each other and major institutions is at historic lows… Levels of polarization are at historic highs… Loneliness and isolation represent profound threats to our health and well-being… A culture of connection is vital to creating the changes needed in society. The benefits extend beyond health-related outcomes – they influence an individual’s educational attainment, workplace satisfaction, economic prosperity, and overall feelings of well-being and life fulfillment.

In the Surgeon General’s advisory report, “social connection” and “community” were identified as the “antidote hidden in plain sight.” CBI’s mission is to help implement this antidote with depth, integrity and the highest quality. We teach the skills and methods necessary to build and experience real connection and Community and are dedicated to passing on this vision to families, groups, neighborhoods, organizations, businesses and larger communities. Our goal is to develop Community Building capacity worldwide.

Community vision

“There is a yearning in the heart for peace. Because of the wounds and rejections, we have received in past relationships, we are frightened by the risks. In our fear, we discount the dream of authentic Community as merely visionary. But there are rules by which people can come back together, by which the old wounds can be healed. The purpose of Community Building is to teach these rules — to make hope real again — and to make the vision actually manifest in a world which has almost forgotten the glory of what it means to be human”.

– M. Scott Peck MD