Much has been written about the joy and hope that lit up the Democratic convention. Little, however, has connected the festivities in Chicago to a basic human need to which the speeches, the music and, yes, the “vibe” touched off within us.

One of our most fundamental longings as social beings is to belong, especially to a community. Community is “our survival,” Francis Moore Lappe, author of Democracy’s Edge, has written. “It isn’t a luxury, a nice thing; community is essential to our well-being.”

In Vice President Kamala Harris’ nomination acceptance speech were recurring themes speaking to Americans’ yearnings to feel their country as one of “common unity”:

I see an America where we hold fast to the fearless belief that built our nation. . . An America where we care for one another, look out for one another, and recognize that we have so much more in common than what separates us.

She struck this parallel note:

Our nation, with this election, has a precious, fleeting opportunity to move past the . . . divisive battles of the past, a chance to chart a new way forward . . . Not as members of any one party or faction. But as........

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