BY PEGGY MCDONAGH

One ' s " The Current " with Sebastian Junger , an award-winning author and journalist — a war veteran of Afghanistan who has struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder . In his book Tribe : On Homecoming and Belonging , Junger writes about how community is a rare and precious thing in modern society and what tribal societies , war and catastrophes teach us about the value and significance of the role of community in curtailing mental illness and loneliness .

Some weeks ago I met with some of the volunteers of the Calgary-based ‘ Inn from the Cold ’ ( INFC ) program that provides shelter for families in need , and has recently closed many of its Inns being run in churches and community halls . As I listened to stories of how important this program had been for them , I heard repeatedly how INFC connected them with a wide variety of people who provided a sense of purpose , fulfilment and joy .

In his article “ All the Lonely People ,” Andre Picard , health reporter and columnist at the Globe and Mail , tells of a hidden epidemic of loneliness and estimates that six million Canadians live in isolation . In his research he has found that “ study after study delivers grim prognosis : loneliness is as harmful to health as smoking fifteen cigarettes a day ; having no friends may increase the risk of premature death ; social isolation is twice as deadly as obesity and hikes the risks of dementia by sixtyfive percent .” Isolation , so it appears , can be

detrimental to both our mental and physical well-being .

I am involved in faith communities , so I appreciate the importance of community ; but I have wondered lately if we truly know the value and significance of community in our society .

Junger says that people are created for community and not for individualism . He teaches that European emigrants to the Americas “ butted up against three thousand miles of howling wilderness populated by Stone-Age tribes .” He explores the rise of the Americas through the wars between the Europeans and First Nation peoples and reveals something quite telling .

When native persons were captured , it was almost impossible to keep them in captivity or assimilate them into European life . They often escaped and returned to their tribes . More compelling is that when Europeans — mostly men — were captured , they chose to integrate themselves into tribal life . Junger says that they did so because it held greater appeal than the growing towns and isolated farming communities . Many Europeans came to value the closeness of community and the importance of sharing responsibility and chores . Everyone had a part to fulfill in order for the tribe to survive , and that created a sense of purpose and value .

“ The question for Western society ,” writes Junger , “ isn ’ t so much why tribal life might be so appealing — it seems obvious on the face of it — but why Western society is so unappealing .” He observes that “ a person living in a modern city can , for the first time in history , go through an entire day — or an entire life — mostly encountering complete strangers . They can be surrounded by others and yet feel deeply , dangerously , alone .”

According to Junger ' s findings , “ modern society — despite its nearly miraculous advances in medicine ,

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