Solidarity and Solitude: Reflections on Community in the 21st Century 

Steve Yarbrough, a renowned American writer and academic, once noted, “people show up when you need them most.” These words seem to best capture what we intuitively understand by the term ‘solidarity.’ Embedded within this term is a sense of reciprocity, shared responsibility, but also mutual support – especially during life’s challenging moments. We invariably belong to some form of community, whether large or small. None of us is an isolated island in the vast ocean. Is this how individuals in the 21st century perceive the concept of solidarity?