During my more than 30 years working as a service provider within the community association industry, I have dealt primarily with technical issues. Although I often attend dozens of board meetings and annual meetings per year, my involvement is usually limited to making a presentation and responding to questions; my position is generally that of an outside observer. During this time I have run into my fair share of naysayers and destructive or obstructive members.
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There was a time years ago when I was president of my office condominium development for a two-year period. During that time, in order to make up for inadequate assessments of prior years, we special-assessed each of the members more than $6,000 and addressed every significant maintenance issue regarding the building exterior and common grounds of the association. We replaced the roof, partially replaced siding, repainted the exterior, had new signs made, replaced and upgraded the landscaping, and repaved parking lots. I became Association president as a means of self-defense, to protect my investment in the building. I was involved as a member, but it was strictly business.
At one point I was also a resident member of a condominium association of some 300 units. I had nothing to do with the association and had no interest in the association. It was simply a place to live. I actively refused involvement.
Now, with a second home that is part of a planned development, I again find myself personally involved with a homeowners' association. But this involvement is unlike any I have ever experienced in the past. This experience has awakened in me an appreciation of the nature and importance of "community." This particular community and the individuals that live here (or, like me, have a second home here) broadly share a set of similar views. That has encouraged me to interact with my fellow community members at a more extensive and interesting level.
This is certainly not to say that every one of these interactions has been pleasant. How could they be when you're dealing with the complexities inherent in human nature? Perhaps it is a maturity that arrives with advancing age, but I'm beginning to realize that it is not a matter of people being either right or wrong, but rather how well certain people are able to adapt.
It is easy to get annoyed at the few negative individuals in a community, but one must learn to accept that as being entirely normal and natural. When confronted with the same set of circumstances, people within any community will respond differently, in ways that are entirely within the range of possible human reactions. Some people will laugh, others will cry, and some will get angry.
