At every annual general meeting of our association, there is an item on the agenda where we remember those who have passed away in the past year. Fortunately, no member of the association passed away last year. Nevertheless, we can take a moment to reflect on everything else that is reported, discussed, deliberated and decided. I had given this some thought:

Community in diversity

As this is normally the place to remember a deceased person who was part of our community, I thought about COMMUNITY.

It's like this: when a person dies, we often only really realise what he/she has meant to the community (our association). Incidentally, I feel the same way when long-standing members leave the association for whatever reason.
The community, and therefore also the PSV with its diverse departments and groups, lives through each individual. Only when individuals come together in their diversity can community develop.

At the moment, many of us probably have the feeling that a lot seems to be falling apart in our world, that there is too much discord, too much brutality and discord. This is sometimes very stressful and overshadows our everyday lives, sometimes to an unhealthy extent.
All the more reason why we urgently need "spaces" in which we can be strengthened. A good community can be such a "space" - at PSV, this is the meditation group and the aikido department for me. Everyone can now have their own group in mind.

Respectful cooperation

Good community is not a sure-fire success. Every group/team/department in our club has probably already experienced this. There are very distinct personalities, often different needs, ideas and wishes, there are differences of opinion, misunderstandings and even the odd argument.
A pause, moments of silence and reflection can be appropriate not only in the event of death but also in such cases. You can realise how valuable our small communities in the association are and that everyone can contribute something with his or her very own nature.
In the end, the important thing is that we come together again in mutual respect to do what we enjoy doing together: training together and having fun, so that we can go home after training perhaps exhausted and exhausted, but invigorated!

Curiously, I only discovered later that on the back of my concept paper (a disused worksheet from my time as a teacher) were the following two sentences:
"Treat people the way you want them to treat you!" and
"Love your fellow human being as yourself!"
We are probably familiar with these sentences in one form or another. I see them as two very basic rules for human coexistence. Perhaps they can help us to maintain and further develop the valuable community in the groups and departments of the PSV, which is currently very much alive.
I, for one, have been a member of this association for over 25 years and am not yet "tired", which is why I wish myself and all of us a successful community for the future, which strengthens us in difficult times.

F.M.