Human pup play is an activity of BDSM that allows a person to generate and thrive upon a feeling of community, to feel and enjoy being part of something. Of course, community can mean different things to different people in places, so in this specific case I am using the word 'community' to describe social responsibility, teamwork, loyalty; basically identifying with a group of people interested in human pup play. This article discusses why that trait is important to us at Sirius Pups. It may be important to you too.
Community is that sense of obligation to a common good a person can feel. You can be into human pup play for your self, but also stretch your self beyond simple self interest. You demonstrate your community virtue by not only having that strong sense of duty, but also by working for the pack, and groups of human pups rather than only for your personal gain. A community spirited pup is loyal to friends; a good packmate who can be trusted to pull her or his own weight. You can make an effort for all not just you all the time.
You can become a vocal pup about the interest of the pack and the greater community of human pups, openly valuing it over your own self interest. Be a pup who believes in the common good and wants to make the world better for those who might seek to engage in human pup play.
This doesn't mean a pup should blindly follow collective goals to a pups own detriment. Any pack is better served when human pup exercises sound judgment based on knowledge and keeping to the interests of the whole, which includes themselves. When you help a group it doesn't have to be at your own expense, and it more often than not what benefits you as well as pup play ends up better for you too. You use rational thinking to work out the best way forward. Much like explained here under Rational Calm.
Being part of a community, and embracing the virtue, means helping other pups even when there is nothing to be gained from them. This can seem contradictory to the often 'self' focused development Sirius Pups receive. Second Collar Training Interaction teaches the importance of 'transaction' - of ensuring a human pup negotiates outcomes that benefit both parties involved in any pup play scene. However, it is quite possible to do things for others and the gain for you is not immediate and material. You can gain by developing and feeling a stronger sense of community. What is vital is for you to honestly identify that your giving means you might take nothing from your effort but a feeling of having done good for another.
Of course that community virtue of which we speak most often manifests as loyalty - a bond of trust to the pack, and teamwork - being able to work with other pups in your pack for a common purpose. Being loyal to someone doesn't mean needing to feel threatened or be threatening to another.
Human society often pushes people to feel community strongly, and for people to become patriotic. That's really neither here nor there for human pup play, but it's worth understanding that if you are feeling hostility to other packs it may well be you have gone too far in your community trait, stepping past patriotism into misapplied pseudo nationalism. It's easy to see how it is irrational in almost any circumstance for a human pup to be acting hostile and territorial if you see it in terms of community.
Although some people may believe that being territorial is emulating canine behaviour, and that's the essence of pup play for them. You can come to human pup play by different paths, and reach similar ends. What is important to remember is that there is a 'human' in the human pup, and it may be that subconsciously a pup is taking their sense of community too far and in fact demonstrating darker and more sinister human traits when they are being "territorial". Hate often comes when humans squabble over resources and territory.
A human pup embracing community doesn't embrace an "us versus them" attitude. Feeling empathy for other human pups, and exercising reason, a community pup values relationships to others in human pup play. A community pup will work to build and keep relationships with others in his community.
There is a payoff for having the virtue of community as a human pup. Other pups will socialise with you, as you build relationships. They will respect you and look up to you. All of your effort and care will lead to a better community of human pups, and others who might be interested in human pup play will see a group of people at play, not a bunch of BDSM freaks. Your community becomes what your value of community is.
Community matters to many human pups, and it's at the heart of Sirius Pups