Credit: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
A wealthy person who never had to rely on help and resources from his community is leading a privileged life that falls way outside more than a million years of human experience.
Source: Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging
People who live in suburbs are much less trusting of other people than people who live in walkable neighborhoods where housing is mixed with shops, services, and places to work. This is because they have far fewer relationships with people who live nearby. And yet the overwhelming message of happiness research is that relationships with other people have the biggest influence on our happiness.
Source: Mr. Money Mustache
Weak ties introduce us to different perspectives and lifestyles, broadening our understanding of the world and contributing to a more nuanced and empathetic approach to life, which is fundamental to lasting happiness.
Source: Matthew Liebermann
The other week I received a podcast recommendation from a friend that featured Matthew Desmond, a Pulitzer prize winning author and sociologist from Princeton University. Coincidentally, one of his books, Poverty, by America, was sitting on my coffee table, patiently waiting to be cracked open. The recommendation served as a gentle nudge to open a book I had ignored for weeks. In his book, Desmond lamented the lack of public support and infrastructure in the US which he argued has contributed to the massive segregation between the rich and the poor. One anecdote that stood out to me was his experience living in an urban area in Milwaukee versus a leafy suburb on the outskirts of Boston. Despite the challenges like violence and the “occasional” open drug use in Milwaukee, he considered it to be the best neighborhood he has lived in. The beauty was in the fact that it was a poorer community, where neighbors needed to share resources, creating a strong sense of community. For instance, he described how, after a heavy snowfall, it became a joint effort to clear driveways and sidewalks. And, to top it off, one neighbor would whip up a breakfast for everyone after the hard work was done. He contrasted this communal approach with the attitude of the neighbors in his wealthy suburb who refused to shovel an inch past their property line. It got me thinking about the dark side of modernization and wealth - an environment is crafted in a way that diminishes our reliance on others. In this setting, there’s an absence of weak ties, and these connections are integral to the human experience. For one, weak ties foster empathy by exposing us to different perspectives and life experiences. I think a lack of empathy is one reason why we’re increasingly polarized. Two, embracing weaker ties opens doors to unexpected opportunities, as chance encounters and casual connections often lead to unforeseen possibilities. Three, unlike strong ties, weaker ties encourage spontaneous interactions, injecting freshness into our day to day lives. Typically, I've been the stranger in every city I've lived in, with one proverbial foot already out the door. As my network in Kelowna has slowly started to expand, I’ve cherished the increased interactions with familiar faces. While strong ties, like relationships with family and friends, form the foundation, weak ties play an undervalued role in contributing to our general happiness.
Awesomundo