“If you don’t go to somebody’s funeral, they won’t come to yours.”  — Yogi Berra
Quoted by Robert Putnam, Bowling Alone

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Are you connected to other people?  Really?

How well connected?

How good a “connector” and a “connectee” are you?

I think we are, at times, under the illusion of “connectivity” with all of our social media:  Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter.  I learn a lot through these connections.  I like them…  But they may be a poor substitute for face-to-face visits, or even for voice-to-voice phone conversations.

But, even if this is the only way you connect, it is better to be connected than not connected.

In January, 1995, the year that Netscape became available to the “masses” and the truly modern internet era was “born,” Robert Putnam wrote an essay in the Journal of Democracy:  “Bowling Alone: America’s Declining Social Capital.”  (You can read the essay here).

Here is the gobsmacking observation that really informed his thinking (from the article):

The most whimsical yet discomfiting bit of evidence of social disengagement in contemporary America that I have discovered is this: more Americans are bowling today than ever before, but bowling in organized leagues has plummeted in the last decade or so.

So, folks were still bowling…but bowling alone.  (It would be interesting to know if bowling is still “growing” as an activity).

Later, Mr. Putnam greatly expanded his observations and thoughts into a book, which I presented way back at the September, 2000 First Friday book Synopsis:  Bowling Alone:  The Collapse and Revival of American Community.  The book is filled with data about decline in “voluntary associations,” which is a big and bad deal because:  “Voluntary associations serve as forums for deliberation, and also as occasions for learning civic virtues…”

Here are some additional key excerpts from his landmark book:

A well-connected individual in a poorly-connected society is not as productive as a well-connected individual in a well-connected society. 
Social capital can thus be simultaneously a “private good” and a “public good.”  Networks involve mutual obligations; they are not interesting as mere “contacts.” 
Higher levels of social capital, all else being equal, translate into lower levels of crime. 
Areas high in social capital are good at getting ahead.  A growing body of research suggests that where trust and social networks flourish, individuals, firms, neighborhoods, and even nations prosper.  
We must create networks that bridge the racial, social, and geographic cleavages that fracture our metropolitan areas. 

Here is what I think.  In this long-commute, fenced-in-backyards, windows-rolled-up, staring-at-a-computer-screen world of ours, we have to get very intentional about making those human connections.

How about you (and, me!)?  Since we probably are not in a bowling league, it’s probably time to schedule a few more breakfast and lunch appointments, and go to a few more “mixers” – on purpose.  There are connections to make.  Get out there and connect.