Each person, no matter how independent he perceives himself to be, required others for his very existence and for his survival to some level of autonomy.
We can say that a "collective" is a coerced association for a purpose not chosen by the participants, while a "community" is built by individuals freely choosing to commit to a relationship of love.
You're free to disagree, of course - I'm just suggesting a way of distinguishing between concepts that appear similar but are, as you point out, actually opposed. The author may not be saying quite what you think he is saying.