I think one of the biggest hindrances to community is competition. Life is a collaborative effort, always. People can't be themselves because they're too busy tryna be better. "Better" is subjective but typically translates to "easier to notice." People want to be noticed because attention is currency. That's what happens under capitalism; we are told there's not enough for everyone, so to get a piece, you gotta be special. But collaboration is not about being special, since specialness is understood/default--it's about belonging, blending, changing the large by being a small part of it. Got us out here racing toward some hypothetical finish line, when we're supposed to be walking slow in the family garden.

same energy as that buffy episode where the big bad ‘can’t be hurt by any weapon forged’ and she’s like ‘it’s been a 500 years are you sure’ and annihilates it with a fuckin M136 rocket launcher