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You mentioning the value of community reminds me of the second chapter of this book, and I only wish I had such a community of my own. Alain de botton is a dabbler (dabblist?) if I've ever seen one.

My favorite idea to ponder is that of impermanence. Observing anything, you'll see that nothing lasts- but does anything stand still? The taoists seem to think that nothingness is behind the seams of everything, and getting in touch with it by clearing your head is the natural path of authentic virtue.

I think a few near death experiences made the search for something that lasts come along pretty authentically. I believe that if everything comes from and returns to nothingness, then everyone is born as a clean slate- so what keeps you from empathising with others when the wrongdoer does exactly what you would do if you went through every single thing they have?

I am skeptical about group dynamics, and the way people lose themselves in a crowd, so I naturally can't pick one "ism", but I also have my guard up from giving too much attention to just anything, in fear of falling pray to inauthentic things.

Meditation, or returning to my clean slate, I can ask myself "do I really want this thing this group wants of me?" of any group, or "do i really need to feel this way?". Realising that nobody can please me but myself, and more importantly- that nobody can upset me other than myself, I find my self getting overjoyed and overwhelmed less and less.

It may sound crazy, but self-reliance, meditation, permanence, compassion, reason, and tranquility may all be one & the same thing. Whenever I work to develop one of them, the other ones seem to flourish with it.