Surely everyone understands that loving many people in a group
involves more love for our neighbor than loving an individual member of
that group. Therefore smaller and larger communities are also our neigh-
bor, because they are a plurality of people. It follows that someone who
loves a community loves the individuals who are part of that community;
someone who wishes a community well and gives benefit to it cares for
its individuals.
A community is like a person. In fact, the people who make up the
community form a single body, in a sense. They are differentiated from
each other like the parts of a single body. When the Lord looks at the
earth, he sees an entire community as an individual person; the form of
that individual person is based on the qualities of the people in the
community. The Lord gives this sight to angels as well. In fact, I have
been allowed to see a community in heaven completely in the form of
an individual person; the person had the same proportions as people in
the world.
[ 2 ] Love for a community is a fuller form of love for our neighbor
than love for a single individual. This is clear from the fact that high posi-
tions are given to people according to their previous leadership of large
groups. They have a level of status according to the job they do. In the
world, in fact, positions in a hierarchy are considered to be higher or lower
based on how wide a governmental responsibility these positions have
over other people. The monarch is the person who has the widest govern-
ment of all. Each person gets pay, glory, and general admiration according
to the scope of the position and also the useful functions performed.
[ 3 ] But in this day and age, leaders may be useful and care for a com-
munity and still not love their neighbor. They perform functions and
show concern for the sake of the world or themselves in order to deserve,
or look as if they deserve, promotion to higher positions. Although these
people may not be identified as such in the world, they are identified as
such in heaven. People who have performed useful services out of love for
their neighbor are put in leadership positions over a heavenly community
as well; there they have splendor and honor. Yet still they do not take that
splendor or honor to heart, just the usefulness. The rest, however, who
were useful because they loved the world or themselves, are rejected.
Feeling love for our neighbor and acting on that love on an individ- 413
ual basis is one thing. Doing so on a plural or community basis is
another. The difference between them is like the difference between the
role of a citizen, the role of an official, and the role of a leader. It is also
§413 goodwill & good actions 507