Bowling Alone

Our pastor spoke on the deterioration or degredation of "social capital" in our society. "Social capital" is a term a Harvard Public Policy guy uses to refer to the value of the relational-ness of our society. See his book site: www.BowlingAlone.com. From less people involved in community clubs, fewer folks sitting down to a real meal together, to the rise of fast-food chains and evolution of living spaces that prohibit at-home entertaining (e.g. no porches for people to hang out and chat with neighbors, small condos, etc.).... our society is more and more about individualism. It's rather unusual for us to know our neighbors' names, much less spend time with them.

Ironically, when we focus on ourselves and our own work, our own entertainment (e.g. web-surfing) and our own well-being, the more lonely and discontent we become. There are fewer and fewer of these "gathering places" (a "Third Place"), places where people can interact with others. Even with the explosion of Starbucks coffeeshops around the nation, Pastor Mark noted that we go to the coffeeshop to feel less alone, but we sit at our own little table with our own cup of coffee reading our own paper or book.

We do this in the church too. We go, stay for a sermon or Sunday school, chat briefly and leave to do our own things. Even though I want to be involved with the fellow believers, I'm just too..... Busy. Tired. Lazy. Unwilling. Afraid. Discouraged. Spent. Apathetic.

Ecclesiastes 4:4-16 speaks to this condition. Due to jealousy, laziness, workaholism, discontentment, we separate and isolate ourselves from others... and yet "Two are better than one.... for if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion...." That's the way things are meant to be.