Here’s an exercise. Think about all the people that you talk to/correspond within the last 2 months and with repetitive frequency.
How similar are they to you? Do they share the same profession, have the same interests and how well do they get along with your personality quirks?
These people form the “network” you associate with and they are in sum total your social capital.
Your social capital and network will also increase if you increase the length of time of correspondence. However this thread is not to measure the worth of your social capital.
This is to ask about our affiliation and affinity patterns.
According to Burt Reynolds, (author of Structural Holes) our networks are marked by their similarity.
That would seem like common sense too.
Without going into much depth in this, there are individuals who seek out people different to them and their networks are more vast and efficient.
I, too have consistently strived to do so – seek people with different opinions, hear people out from different walks of life and broaden my perspective on life.
However, lately, I realize that there comes a certain barrier with education and social classes. Even in terms of generational gaps.
It might sound elitist, but it is a waste of time to discuss things with narrow-minded people and what’s more giving them an opportunity to give you their feedback, gives them a chance to be invested in your decisions.
I am more a fan of inner circles than ever. I trust my family the most – and I have no problem correlating with them.
My real life church family too is fantastic. I have no issues with confiding with them and growing with them.
I do notice we have a thread of similarity – we all come from a certain socio-economic background.
So the question is – is it possible to move past this in Christianity? Are churches also clustered in a similar fashion – similar people go to worship together. Similar people cluster in similar denominations and so forth.
Even those who are missionaries congregate and seek people in the same missions.
Unity in churches is in clusters. I do know that the Kingdom of God has people from all different backgrounds so does this clustering of similarity go against that principle?
Should we consciously be seeking out those who are different than us?
How similar are they to you? Do they share the same profession, have the same interests and how well do they get along with your personality quirks?
These people form the “network” you associate with and they are in sum total your social capital.
Your social capital and network will also increase if you increase the length of time of correspondence. However this thread is not to measure the worth of your social capital.
This is to ask about our affiliation and affinity patterns.
According to Burt Reynolds, (author of Structural Holes) our networks are marked by their similarity.
That would seem like common sense too.
Without going into much depth in this, there are individuals who seek out people different to them and their networks are more vast and efficient.
I, too have consistently strived to do so – seek people with different opinions, hear people out from different walks of life and broaden my perspective on life.
However, lately, I realize that there comes a certain barrier with education and social classes. Even in terms of generational gaps.
It might sound elitist, but it is a waste of time to discuss things with narrow-minded people and what’s more giving them an opportunity to give you their feedback, gives them a chance to be invested in your decisions.
I am more a fan of inner circles than ever. I trust my family the most – and I have no problem correlating with them.
My real life church family too is fantastic. I have no issues with confiding with them and growing with them.
I do notice we have a thread of similarity – we all come from a certain socio-economic background.
So the question is – is it possible to move past this in Christianity? Are churches also clustered in a similar fashion – similar people go to worship together. Similar people cluster in similar denominations and so forth.
Even those who are missionaries congregate and seek people in the same missions.
Unity in churches is in clusters. I do know that the Kingdom of God has people from all different backgrounds so does this clustering of similarity go against that principle?
Should we consciously be seeking out those who are different than us?
{its can be mutual friends, geographic location etc}
