How many of you have shoveled the snow from the public street in order to reveal some extra parking space under the snow for the neighbours? How many of you have done something which does not give personal benefit other than a thought that "I have helped another person who I do not even necessary know"?
I shoveled today ca. 30 meters of parking space covered under loads of snow we have experienced here in Finland. That's the space for around I did not find anyone else doing that. Probably they were waiting that the city council will clean the space for them.
Robert D. Putnam wrote in his modern classic "Bowling Alone" how the sense of the community and helping & being with others have reduced in modern times. The modern era was charactirized by people who went to the bowling alleys to bowl alone - and would miss the most important part of the sports. Being together, feeling community. I have seen the same phenomena in the pub quiz I love. Instead of four person teams, there have raised one man teams who miss the community part of the game.
Putnam discusses about the Social Capital. It is the sense of the feeling that we are belonging to a community and opposite of just concentrating to things which benefit for us personally, we see the greater good. In long term the social capital also benefits to yourself.
I got new neighbours in the Summer. I started to shovel the snow from their part of the yard when I was the one who woke first. For a while I had to shovel my part when they were quickier but gradually they started to see the benefit of the sharing. This week I experienced that also my part of the yard was shoveled.The idea is not calculating who does what, but the thought that when I contribute, the other contributes as well. Today, my neighbour said that he appreciated what I had done and even if it didn't go even, it would lessen the total load of the shoveling.
All this reminded me of the story I read in the Summer. One of my Facebook friends were lawn mowing the public park attached to his yard. He even asked the permission from the city to do that, and when he got it, he started to mown not only his own yard but also the public park. By doing something which pleasured his eyes and not waiting "the government to do it" he did not the service just for him but for the whole neighbourhood.
That is called the Social Capital. Someone may cry out that "don't do it! The City will come and eventually make it clear." Hmm, I say.
I shoveled today ca. 30 meters of parking space covered under loads of snow we have experienced here in Finland. That's the space for around I did not find anyone else doing that. Probably they were waiting that the city council will clean the space for them.
Robert D. Putnam wrote in his modern classic "Bowling Alone" how the sense of the community and helping & being with others have reduced in modern times. The modern era was charactirized by people who went to the bowling alleys to bowl alone - and would miss the most important part of the sports. Being together, feeling community. I have seen the same phenomena in the pub quiz I love. Instead of four person teams, there have raised one man teams who miss the community part of the game.
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| One of the parts I did today. When the city does not its part, someone acts. |
Putnam discusses about the Social Capital. It is the sense of the feeling that we are belonging to a community and opposite of just concentrating to things which benefit for us personally, we see the greater good. In long term the social capital also benefits to yourself.
I got new neighbours in the Summer. I started to shovel the snow from their part of the yard when I was the one who woke first. For a while I had to shovel my part when they were quickier but gradually they started to see the benefit of the sharing. This week I experienced that also my part of the yard was shoveled.The idea is not calculating who does what, but the thought that when I contribute, the other contributes as well. Today, my neighbour said that he appreciated what I had done and even if it didn't go even, it would lessen the total load of the shoveling.
All this reminded me of the story I read in the Summer. One of my Facebook friends were lawn mowing the public park attached to his yard. He even asked the permission from the city to do that, and when he got it, he started to mown not only his own yard but also the public park. By doing something which pleasured his eyes and not waiting "the government to do it" he did not the service just for him but for the whole neighbourhood.
That is called the Social Capital. Someone may cry out that "don't do it! The City will come and eventually make it clear." Hmm, I say.
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