What if You Don't Want to Join a Community?

I’m going to be honest, the word “community” bothers me.

It makes me feel a little uncomfortable when I hear it now, depending on who’s talking and how they use it. This word has become a “floating signifier,” a term from semiotics that describes terms that become detached from their original meaning and just sort of float around, without a clear definition.

I’m going to ask a question that needs some breathing room, a question that might’ve been lurking somewhere in the back of your head.

What if you don’t want to join a community?

Should you feel bad for ever thinking that? Should you feel ashamed of yourself? Should you dismiss that thought because it sounds selfish or immature? I would say no. It doesn’t make you sound selfish. It doesn’t make you sound immature. You shouldn’t dismiss it. You should think about why, and if you reflect on it for a few minutes you might come up with some good reasons for not wanting to join a community, at least not right now.

I’ll start with an example: