Is inconvenience really the cost of community?

Nowadays, we feel like we’ve heard the phrase 'inconvenience is the cost of community' a hundred times over. It’s become quite the catchphrase, implying that, to build connections and relationships, we sometimes need to sacrifice what is easiest for us. But what does this look like in practice?

As University Mental Health Day (12 March) approaches, we, Amy and Christie, reflect on our understanding of the phrase based on our personal experiences of creating community at King’s.

Amy’s experience working with King’s Climate & Sustainability

Hi, I’m Amy, and I’m a final year undergraduate student studying International Development and a Student Life Content Creator.

I think the phrase ‘inconvenience is the cost of community’ really encapsulates how building connections often involves a worthwhile sacrifice. For me, this makes me think about my journey working with King’s Climate & Sustainability throughout my three years at King’s.

In my first year in London, I found it hard to find my type of people in university. I didn’t see myself in a lot of the people, places, or societies, but I knew for sure that I had a passion for sustainability. So, I started out by volunteering at stalls during King’s Climate and Sustainability month, helping encourage students to get more involved in sustainability.

Sure, I already felt like I was drowning in work, and definitely could’ve used those hours to get ahead on assignments or take some well-needed rest. But what I lost in productivity, I gained in connections, both those for the network and for the soul. It introduced me to a community of people that really cared about making the University more sustainable, and I felt grateful to have found this common ground.

Since then, I have gone on to work on a variety of projects with the team, including two stints as a Sustainability Engagement Assistant. This engagement has been a truly formative part of my time at King’s – and none of it would have happened had I not stepped out of my comfort zone to show up for the cause three years ago.

Christie’s experience at an 'Open Space' event

Hi, I’m Christie, and I am a master’s student studying Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI) and Student Life Content Creator.

I want to share my experience at an ‘Open Space’ event organised by the CCI programme in my first term. The session brought our cohort together in one room and encouraged us to speak freely about anything we cared about. A few volunteers introduced discussion topics, including hiking, relationships, the arts, coffee, London life, and the rest of us chose which conversations to join. In a programme as diverse as CCI, where students come from all over the world and have their own interests, I had trouble truly connecting with others beyond coursework.

That afternoon required small inconveniences: choosing to speak up, to listen attentively and to remain in conversations that were not always familiar. I joined a group discussing the arts. Although we all identified with the creative industries, we quickly realised we each loved something different — from theatre and fashion to visual arts and ballet. It would have been easier to stay within our own niches. Instead, we listened. We asked questions. We admitted what we had never tried. As we started to open up to one another, this eventually led us to create Arts World, our own unofficial mini-society where we explore different art forms together. Our first visit to the Dirty Works exhibition at the Barbican felt like the first step into each other’s worlds.

Looking back, I realised community did not form because we were similar. It formed because we chose to show up, share, listen and stay. In moments when university life feels overwhelming or isolating, these small acts may actually become the support we didn’t realise we were providing for each other.

What does creating community look like to you? It doesn't have to be a grand gesture or a big dedication. But stepping out of your comfort zone or showing up for others, even when it's inconvenient for you, is oftentimes the best way to create community. Can it even be seen as a ‘cost’ when these ‘inconveniences’ are what shape us as we move through university and the wider world? Maybe, in reality, inconvenience is the investment that we make to find our place.