Greetings!
There’s now a dating app, just for Tesla owners.
Youtube knows exactly what I like and showed me an ad about Cobra Kai (I literally jumped in the air; well-played Youtube, well-played).
We have access to more information than at any other time in history. In our pocket. We have access to more people than at any other time in history. Posts, messages, DMs, etc. reach thousands, sometimes millions. Yet it is human nature to want to make an impact. And in a sea so large, it’s easy to feel lost.
Enter the micro-communities. Tight communities formed around a strong common interest or close quarters.
People are exploring how our affiliations and sense of responsibility have become smaller. Contracting with each crisis. I heard an author talk about his book, charting the journey of Republicans in Greenwich, Connecticut. Once “Country Club Republicans” (fiscally conservative, socially liberal), these folks slowly moved over to the Trump camp. How did the community that anchored the Bush family undergo this change? One explanation is that their definition of community narrowed. Seventy-five years ago, 50 years ago, 25 years ago, there was some sense of shared identity and responsibility as Americans. “Us.” Now identity is shifting from the macro to the micro, focusing on tight communities and local needs. “Us” means my subdivision. “Us” means this Facebook group that really gets me.
It’s an understandable answer to our national chaos and personal anxieties. Small is manageable, predictable and safe. Yet defining communities so narrowly means we lose out on wonderful people, experiences, and understanding. And the opportunity to support our friends.
While others are closing their ranks, open yours. Take my "Good Neighbor" challenge. This week, explore something new. Check out a wildly different podcast, read a powerful voice, tour a cultural museum. Take it a step further and start learning about an identity group, community, or geographic area that’s different than yours.
People are in pain. People are dying in hospitals and getting killed on the street. People are *still* marching for equality. It's overwhelming.
Now’s not the time to contract, to retreat to micro-communities. It’s the time to expand. Let’s continue to be curious about others’ experience. Let’s educate ourselves about our histories. Let’s be concerned about each other. Let’s support each other. Let’s speak up for each other. Let's stand up for each other. Let’s take action with each other, for each other.
Let’s open up what it means to be “Us.”
