Often times, you will hear people speaking about the power of community. You will hear people discussing how if a certain group forms a coalition all things will be better within that group. Certainly, through the 1960s and into the 1970s, a lot of people formed, for lack of a better term, “Communes.” There were many spiritual groups founded in that era. Today, however, where did they all go? They're all but gone. All of those groups formed in that era fell apart.
 
As someone who was very active with spiritual communities in the 1970s, I saw first-hand how these groups operated. Yes, at their source they had a spiritual foundation. But, more than simply spiritual foundation, there was human personality. And, from this, a lot of not-so-spiritual things took place.
 
I know there's this idealized image that if a certain group of people could just come together, they could make everything AOK. Make it whole and spiritual and peaceful and all of that kind of stuff. But, then there always comes a time when personality comes into play. When there needs to be a leader, and other people don't appreciate what that leader is leading. There arises fractions within the group; one person believing one thing, another person believing another. I saw this a lot with the spiritual communities I was associated with, way back in the way back when. In fact, the spiritual group that I was perhaps most closely linked to was, The Integral Yoga Institute. The entire reason I walked away from that group was not because of Swami Satchidananda, or anything like that. It was because of the ego and the power-tripping that went on with the people that were in charge.
 
There they were, American swamis. Though they wore the robes of a holy person, at their core, they were still defined by the culture they grew up in, and the personality they possessed. Thus, they could never move too far away from that.
 
I know a lot of times in movies and TV shows, if a group has encountered some sort of apocalyptic horror, some zombie disaster, or something like that, they come together and form a coalition. In some of those productions, the coalition falls apart pretty quickly. In others, it is all kumbaya for a little while. It is, until it is not. And that's the point, it always ends. Personality comes into play. Power-tripping comes into play. Then what?
 
This is why it is so commonly the case when there is a central leader of a group, and that leader passes away, the group quickly disintegrates. The people were all there worshipping that central figure; relinquishing all power and control to him or her. Then, they're gone. Then what?
 
This commonality does not only take place here in the West. Go to India, Japan, Thailand, wherever it is where true spirituality is supposedly in play, and it's the same story.
 
The fact is, in life, some people are born to lead. At least so they believe. Some people want to control others. Thus, by hook or by crook, they rise to the top of whatever heap they have access to. But, what is all this based upon? Is this based in spirituality? No, it's based upon the ego of personality.
 
This is all just something for you to think about as you pass through the passages of your life. Are you a leader? If you are a leader, can you ever be a follower? If you are a follower, can you ever be a leader?
 
Have you ever been involved in a group where there wasn't a leader? Where everybody was just completely in true and peaceful association? Where there was never any conflict? Answer: Probably not.
 
So, here's the reality of the reality. There will never be any space of pure peace and true holiness. Yes, some people portray the takings place of things that took place in the long ago and the far-far away as somehow something very spiritual and holy. But they weren't there! You weren't there! I wasn't there! So, all that is, is just fictional stories written on some page of history, which most probably is not true. Because if it's not true today, it couldn't have been true yesterday.
 
Just know, you can follow if you want to. Maybe that's just who you are. You are a believer. You believe in what someone else has to say. You want to follow, you don't want to lead. Then, as long as they're giving you all that you need, you can have all that you want. But, just know, that no leader is ever based in an absolutely pure state of mind. There's always ego in play. From that ego, from those personalities, comes the fact that someone will always push the destruct button and the promise of peaceful group foreverness can never be truly lived.