Community Worth and Social Capital

August 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Within a community, social groups and relationships form, and those become what is called “social capital.” Social capital has value, just like economic capital, because the relationships between people impact the overall productivity of a community. Social capital is directly related to people’s inclination to lend a hand when needed.

Social capital has multiple definitions. Social capital was initially defined in the early 1900′s as a resource that should be used for the sake of the public good. Social capital was said to decrease crime in a community, because the existence of supportive relationships would improve the society as a whole.

Over time, definitions of social capital have assumed broader and more various forms. Robert Putnam, for example, claims that social capital is the value of the social networks combined with people’s instinct to help each other out. Putnam believes that social capital is one of the driving forces of democracy. In his book, “Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of the American Community” (published in 2000), social capital has decreased in the United States, and club attendance is down, as well as family dinners. Apparently other western countries are also suffering from this problem, as people attend church less frequently and there are less community gatherings.

Professor Nan Lin, however, takes a very different approach from Putnam to social capital. He believes that social capital involves a slightly more self-interested approach to relationships; Lin declares that people expect reciprocation, and for that reason, they invest in social networks within the community.

The Social Capital Foundation declares that the definition of social capital should not be related to any of the manifestations of social capital. For example, the inclination to volunteer or engage with the community is not social capital, but rather a response to social capital.

Part of the problem with the term “social capital” is that the word “capital” indicates benefits. These benefits may not be measurable, though, and unlike other economic capital, social capital cannot be used up. However, social capital is comparable to human capital, which also produces economic value (indirectly).

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Freemasonry: A Secret Society?

August 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Freemasonry is an old secret society, which officially began in the 1700′s. However, there is a poem called the “Regius Manuscript” from the 14th century, and it is considered a Masonic text. Notably, the term secret society has no official definition. A secret society could be a society whose members conceal their identity, or it could be a society that passes on secret knowledge.

What kind of secret society is Freemasonry? It’s difficult to say, as a number of controversial myths surround Freemasonry and due to secrecy no one knows exactly what the organization does except for the members. Furthermore, Freemasons claim that they are not actually a secret society, but rather that they have a number of rituals that they do not share. In the most recent century, they have called themselves a “society with secrets,” rather than a secret society.

Freemasons have a number of private rituals, which can vary based on the location of the Lodge. All Lodges, though, have the square and compass symbol. The compass represents the Masons dedication to their fellow men and human kind, and the square is meant to indicate virtuousness. That being said, the Masonic symbols may inspire various definitions, as Freemasons allow for a flexible understanding of their teachings.

Like other secret societies (or societies with secrets), Freemasons use particular handshakes, gestures and vocabulary to verify membership. These signs may be different for different areas, and are often updated by the Grand Lodge. The Masons keep these interactions secret, and do not share them with anyone. Members are sworn to secrecy when they join the Freemasons.

The secrets surrounding the Freemason society have lead to many conspiracy theories. The Catholic Church is not fond of the Freemasons, even though they are open to all religions. Many political parties have criticized Freemasonry as well. Masons were prosecuted by the Communist states in Eastern Europe and Nazi Germany. Even today, uncertain outsiders criticize Freemasonry for various (and generally unfounded) reasons.

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What is a Sustainable Society?

August 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Many people believe that a “sustainable society” is simply an eco-friendly society; that is, a group of people aware of their impact on the environment. However, according to “The Encyclopedia of Earth,” the definition of a sustainable society should involve several other factors, including human well-being and quality of life.

A sustainable society intends to provide for future generations, and for this reason, such a society is careful to protect the environment and not deplete the resources. However, sustainability makes no sense if the populace is hungry or unhappy. For this reason, sustainability and well-being go hand in hand.

For a society to be sustainable, the current and future generations must be able to meet their needs. Some theorists suggest that, beyond general satisfaction, a sustainable society allows each individual to develop freely. The society is well-balanced, aware of its surroundings, and in harmony with nature. Theorists speculate that in order to be well-balanced, a society must have decent governance and a sound economy. Economic sustainability, therefore, may be an integral part of a sustainable society. The people within the society must have access to education, health facilities and food and water.

The Sustainable Society Index was created to measure the sustainability of different countries, and it is based on five categories: Personal Development, Healthy Environment, Well-balanced Society, Sustainable Use of Resources and Sustainable World. Countries were scored from 1-10, with 10 being the most sustainable. According to this scale, the most sustainable country is Sweden, with a score of 7. Other countries with a high score included Switzerland, Norway, Finland, Iceland, New Zealand, Latvia and Vietnam.

Only 151 countries were measured with the Sustainability Society Index, due to a lack of data in smaller countries. The least sustainable of the countries was Turkmenistan, with a score of 4.1. Other countries that did poorly include Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and other oil countries. The average world score was 5.65, which means that most countries are only “half” sustainable, according to the Sustainability Society Index.

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Kakouira: A Sustainable Community

August 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Kakouira is a small community of about 2,000 persons just north of Christchurch and south of Picton, on the South Island of New Zealand. The Kaikoura Peninsula causes currents that carry an exceptional amount marine life towards the shore. Kaikoura, got its name from this trend, since it means “meal of crayfish.” The community was initially founded on the whaling industry, as whales also end up close to shore due to the currents. Kakouira welcomes thousands of tourists each year, who come to see the whales, dolphins, fur seals, albatross, petrels and other sea birds. The town is also quite lovely, as it’s tucked at the base of the Southern Alps, which are majestic and often snow-capped.

Given that the scenery, environment and wildlife play such a central part in Kakouira’s economy and culture, it’s no surprise that it was the first community to be certified by the Green Globe Tourism association. Green Globe was developed after the United Nations Earth Summit to provide an international tourism standard. The Green Globe addressed 21 different principles related to sustainability to rate tourism locales. These principles included energy efficiency, recycling, transportation and Corporate Social Responsibility.

Kakouira used Green Globe to measure their impact on the environment, and worked careful to keep their community sustainable. The Green Globe took yearly measurements to ensure that Kakouira met their requirements. This year, though, Kakouira switched to EarthCheck for their annual sustainability measurements (also called “benchmarking). EarthCheck actually integrated all of the Green Globe members in February 2010. EarthCheck was originally the software behind Green Globe, and Green Globe was purchased by Green Globe International in 2008, which changed the way the brand could be used.

EarthCheck considers the environmental problems of the planet, such as climate change, waste reduction and resource management. EarthCheck is used by more tourism communities than any other such organization, and many large hotels, such as The Radisson and Inter-continental, use the EarthCheck measurement system. Now, with their continued interest in maintaining a sustainable community, Kakouira will use EarthCheck too.

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Volunteering Ideas

August 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Volunteering is a wonderful way to get involved with your community and contribute to a worthwhile cause, but sometimes it’s hard to figure out where to start. If you’re stuck in a rut, try some of these volunteering ideas.

Homeless Shelters are need of volunteers to help serve food, organize donations and food drives, or help with administrative tasks in the office. People living at homeless shelters are often friendly and gracious, and sometimes even surprisingly happy. Volunteering at a homeless shelter can be very rewarding, because the act of giving inspires genuine happiness.

Animal Shelters and Humane Societies need dog walkers, laundry doers, help with adoptions, public education, administrative help and so forth. Being around animals can be very uplifting, as they give unconditional love. Also, petting animals is a very soothing activity, and there are often cats that need socializing in shelters.

Environmental organizations appreciate volunteer support for administrative tasks, help educating the public, trail maintenance and other related tasks. Volunteering for the environment often involves spending time outside, which is exhilarating and beneficial.

Museums often need assistance, and it can be an educational way to spend your time. Art museums, natural history museums, and museums for children all appreciate volunteer support.

Literacy programs are in need of volunteer tutors to help individuals with reading and writings skills. Reading is an essential skill for adults in today’s society, and helping others develop this skill is an excellent use of time. Illiteracy is linked to crime, and often jails need literacy volunteers. The library is also a good place to look for literacy programs, and libraries often need assistance with their other programs as well.

Charities that help disabled persons, such as the American Foundation for the Blind, can often use volunteer help. For example, the Special Olympics require volunteer help with fundraising, sports training, administrative help and additional tasks. There are a lot of organizations in need of volunteers, and they are only a phone call away. Remember, volunteering can be quite beneficial for your community, and rewarding for you, too.

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Poker Tables and Growing up Well

August 15, 2010 By Leave a Comment
2006 WSOP Main Event Table
Image via Wikipedia

We work so hard to make sure that our children have every chance to succeed in this world. We give them everything we never had (and sometimes a little too much), and we love them to a point that would seem a little strange if it weren’t for having the deepest possible bond that two people can share. And even when our children have grown up and moved on to fulfill their own destinies in the world, we still want to reach out to other people. So we begin to volunteer in our communities, helping other people with children to do as good a job as (if not a better one than) we did with our own kids.

Naturally, the conversations we have with any child are intended to help them do well in this world. We encourage them to respect themselves and others, and to only give their bodies and their sexuality to someone they truly love, when they are ready (preferably married, but sometimes things do happen). We encourage our children to find healthy ways of having fun, to get plenty of exercise and fresh air, and we keep them away from the poker tables and roulette wheels of the world until they are old enough to make responsible decisions about them.  If we do well, the children we encourage grow up to be responsible, happy citizens of this world.

But sometimes we fail. When a child you mentor makes a mistake, no matter how grievous, it is your responsibility to help them within reason. You should certainly never try to step in and fix a problem the child has created for themself – that would give them the false expectation that there are no consequences to the mistakes they make. But on the other hand, no matter how grave a mistake they have made, you should never abandon a child you mentor.

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