Communality

com·mu·nal·i·ty (kom"yu-nal’i-tē) - n.

    One can define communality as the proportion of a variable’s variance explained by a factor structure. But I suppose all of us – including statisticians – associate this word more with a community than factor analysis.

    Communality, according to Encarta World English dictionary on MSN.com, means the spirit of togetherness, the spirit of cooperation and solidarity.

    In our lifetime we have witnessed the collapse of boundaries, the intermingling and emergence of races and subcultures … the fragmentation of our world seems just as finite as the formation of fractal arms in iterations. Sadly and incomprehensibly to the naïves, diversity often leads to exclusivity, misunderstanding, and even tragedies.

    But shouldn’t diversity be a wonderful thing? Doesn’t it show how rich and colourful the human race is? And aren’t we created in many different tribes and nations such that we can learn about each other?

    I believe we should cherish our particularities … but also look beyond them. Let’s speak in the language of what you and I and they share in common.

    I hope Communality would do just that.