Reconciling communities

Overall cohesion in a community can bring ‘peace’ amongst the residents, tolerance and understanding. But how is cohesion brought about?

In a world where people can be almost entirely reliant on the help of technology for jobs and online socialising, there is less need for neighbours to turn to each other for help, or even talk. People can live entirely different and separate lives, only a few metres apart.

I went to a conference recently called ‘Reconciling a Wounded Planet’ in Coventry Cathedral. The conference addressed many different areas, but I was particularly taken by the call to move away from ‘self’ and towards ‘community’.

Church can be a space for conversation about systemic change, and we need to encourage different faith groups in communities to work together.

One way to encourage cohesion is through community centres and spaces.

As Second Church Estates Commissioner, I am keen to support the idea of seeing Church buildings used for different local purposes throughout the week.

Not only does this prevent essentially public spaces in a community being no-go zones to some residents, it encourages everyone to invest in the future of that building regardless of faith. If a community is separated by faith or culture, a mutual respect and understanding for the spaces we use and share could arguably bring increased mutual insight.

Perhaps harmony within a society can only be achieved in the long term if people forgive each other for their impact on that community and their expectations, reconcile themselves to each other’s differences and work together for the sake of that community. It requires every side to learn to cooperate.

However, this could also be the key to success for a larger community, such as the EU.

Each country has to be ready to focus on what their shared goals are, and reconcile their differences to achieve unity. If the right spaces are made available for such a community, then it can. The right spaces have to be able to provide all member states, all individuals in member states, with the ability to feel they can interact and get involved.

It seems that too many people in the UK feel cut off from the EU, and decisions that are made there.

Forgiveness and acceptance comes with understanding. Perhaps the answer is that there should be more ways that local communities can communicate directly with the EU, such as regular community EU meetings and updates with more ground-level representatives.

In return, Brussels and Strasbourg have to reconcile themselves to the differences between each Member state and sub-community. Different communities will have different approaches for the same goal.

The rebuilt Coventry Cathedral stands as a symbol of forgiveness, a haven of peace after the Second World War. On the 25th October, representatives of Great Britain attended a service at the rebuilt Dresden Cathedral in Germany, demonstrating the shared goals of peace for which most communities strive.

About the author

Caroline Spelman is a Conservative Member of Parliament. She was educated at Herts and Essex Girls’ Grammar and London University. Caroline worked in the sugar industry for 15 years before becoming MP for Meriden in 1997 and was Chairman of the Conservative Party 2007-2009. Caroline has been on the front bench for the majority of her time in parliament, including Shadow Secretary of State for Local, Regional and Devolved Government, and for DfID, and was Secretary of State for Defra from 2010 to 2012. Caroline is currently Second Church Estates Commissioner, and a Vice President of Tearfund. She is married to Mark, a management consultant and they have 3 children.