When the ground shifts beneath us, do not rely on skills alone for survival. It's the people around us that will protect us.

After all, we are identity animals.

And while our sense of self starts with the individual, it has the opportunity to extend beyond itself into a tribe—a community, a nation, the entirety of humanity.

When we see our community as an extension of ourselves, we act like parts of one living system—each person with a role, all working toward something shared.

Community is a safe haven—a protection not just for now, but for what's coming. It shelters its people—offering warmth, stability, and shared strength.

This sense of community—of friends looking out for one another—persists in modern life. Technology hasn’t stripped us of our human nature—this need to connect and protect each other remains.

As I searched for new job opportunities, my community showed up for me again and again. One friend had his company fly me from Switzerland to San Francisco. Another vouched for me and brought me into an AI role at his company. Yet another invited me to help build her startup. Even coworkers at a temp gig rallied to extend my contract.

In a world shifting so fast, anxiety feels inevitable. I feel it strongly—an unease about what the future holds, both in how the world may change and how I’ll find my place in it.

But when I think of communities, of friendships that I've cultivated over years, I see this as the best protection.

Survival isn’t about becoming hyper-skilled or untouchable. It’s about showing up for others. It is being a good friend, a person of integrity, someone who is a good member of their community.

When we show up for our communities, the community—assuming it is a healthy one—will protect us. It will naturally offer us opportunities and ways of collaborating on the challenges and complexities of our lives.

Extending our identity to include community is like joining a living body—each part supporting the rest.

When we serve and protect others, we’re protecting ourselves too.