It’s the eve of our first ComFest so I thought I would post a message about Community and what it stands for at this event. The Community Festival Statement of Principles goes beyond the definition of living in a specific area and sharing a common cultural heritage. It states that “people ought to work for the collective good of all people rather than for personal gain, the basic necessities of life are a right and not a privilege and people should strive to conduct their lives in harmony with the environment. It also goes on to say that “We recognize that there are primary attitudes which divide and oppress people. These attitudes are usually shown by prejudice against people on the basis of age, class, ability, income, race, sex and sexual preference/orientation. We seek to eliminate these attitudes.”
Sometimes people think about people-watching, drinking and partying first but when you step back and look at ComFest it stands for something, something much bigger. I think Columbus is lucky to have an event like this with organizers, vendors and patrons that stand for a cause or a belief. That is part of the fabric of State of Devotion and I try to embody all of the principles mentioned above. I’m proud of that and I’m proud to be a part of this communal event.