We love the idea of community. People coming together around a shared purpose, a shared passion, or even a shared problem to solve. But somewhere along the way, “community” often gets confused with “uniformity.” We start to believe that to belong, we must match. To work together, we must agree. To move forward, we must move in identical steps.
But that’s never been how real communities thrive.
“Be together, not the same” isn’t just a catchy phrase. It’s a reminder that strength comes from diversity. Diversity of experience, of ideas, of backgrounds, of approaches. If everyone thinks the same way, sees the same way, and acts the same way, then what we have isn’t a community at all. It’s a photocopy. And photocopies fade.
(Before the digital revolution you made a copy of something by placing it on a piece of glass, taking a photo of it and then printing it out. At the same time hoping that the paper didn't jam in the printer.)
Diversity isn’t a hurdle. It’s the engine.
Whether we’re talking about open-source projects, volunteer organisations, online communities, or simply the groups we navigate every day, progress happens when different perspectives collide. Not when they align perfectly.
The Joomla community proved this time and again. The times we grew the fastest and solved the hardest problems were never when everyone agreed. They were when we showed up and worked together even when our viewpoints didn’t match. When we trusted each other enough to challenge, question, and collaborate rather than conform.
Because being aligned on purpose is far more important than being identical in thought.
Being “all together” is a choice.
Togetherness is intentional. It requires effort. It requires listening. It means making room for people who don’t think like you or work like you or look like you. It means valuing what each person brings, even when it disrupts the comfort of sameness.
Sameness feels safe, but it limits us.
Togetherness feels messy, but it grows us.
The world is changing. Our communities must, too.
Today’s digital spaces are more polarised than ever. It’s easier to surround ourselves with mirrors instead of windows. With people who reflect our views back to us instead of opening our eyes to something new.
But the communities that will thrive in the next decade are the ones that embrace difference as a feature, not a flaw.
- The ones that welcome the uncomfortable conversation.
- The ones that hold space for disagreement without fracturing.
- The ones that show up for each other because of who we are, not despite it.
Unity isn’t uniformity. It’s humanity.
So let’s stop chasing identical.
Let’s stop believing that being on the same team means being the same type of person.
Let’s build communities, both online and offline, where originality is celebrated, not sanded down.
Where we can contribute without conforming.
Where we can belong without shrinking.
Because in the end, the world doesn’t need more identical people. It needs more connected ones.
Be together, not the same.
Be all together, not all identical.
Joomla means "all together" which is not the same as "all the same".
