My Diabetes Information Blogs
The Conundrum of Community
08/13/08
Living Well
For us with diabetes, we have acquired not only an illness but also a community. This is true for any disorder. The issue becomes one of acceptance. Do we find comfort in this family of circumstance? Does accepting our community of illness alleviate our solitude or does it only reinforce it?
Along with this general question of acceptance comes the issue of the dynamic of community. Gone are the days of the neighborhood structure where everyone knew one another and the village did truly raise the child. We are increasingly separate in our lives, at home, at work, and at play. Cubicles separate a large consortium of our workforce, who sit and stare down the void of a computer screen, only to return home to the aforementioned isolation, often to exercise or take leisure in activities that are individual and not team endeavors.
It makes sense then that so many turn to the Internet and select Web sites and message boards that reflect their lives. Does holding tight to one of these cyber communities truly bring a sense of belonging, when the only topic ever under discussion is the illness that has already intruded in so many aspects of life? Do we really want to dwell on the illness? Don't we want this issue to be a stepping stone into a greater world of disclosure and acceptance of the whole and not just singular aspect of the person with the disability?
The idea of community is limited to a narrow band of accepted discussion. Therefore, does this create a more inclusive or exclusive situation? Can there really be a community in every sense of the word?
I don't have an answer. All I know is that it's a point worth considering the next time you sit before the screen hoping for a response or e-mail to your medical conundrum.
Eric Devine, 30, has lived with type 1 diabetes since he was 12. He lives in upstate New York with his wife and two daughters where he works as a high school English teacher. Devine is an avid writer and is currently seeking publication of two Young Adult novel manuscripts.