Member-only story
The Essential Role Of Bridge-Builders In An Isolating Age
Let’s not take for granted those who connect the best of us
Fortune
In life, we may be fortunate enough to partake in truly wondrous moments, magical occasions that will smooth the edges of our individuality and shape us in a fashion harmonious with the reality to which we belong. Friendly gatherings, social events and special parties are but a few examples. It isn’t the act of putting people together that matters, though, for most of us have been members of crowds that have made us nothing but miserable. It isn’t the familiarity with the other members that is relevant, either, for we have probably experienced the joy of entering new communities that have instantly felt like home. It all boils down to the quality of the people who come together.
The Trap
If we have never encountered such groups, chances are we are prey to a sense of cynicism, nihilism, and perhaps even resentment towards humankind. Those who have been lucky to be part of such genuine and bettering communities face another kind of danger: taking them for granted, assuming that everyone else shares the same luck, disregarding them as natural elements in all human existence. Unless we step out of wherever it is we may reside, we can simply not be aware of there being…