It would be too detrimental to our future and to that of our children. Lawrence is uniquely situated to build social capital in many ways. Our city was founded for idealistic reasons, and we need to continually remind ourselves and renew that sense of common purpose. An unusually high proportion of our citizens live here because they want to be here, which means that appealing to the greater good of the community resonates more loudly here than in many places. Any number of specific actions and organizations can promote social capital, as long as we keep reminding ourselves of our history and our reason for living here.
Social capital is the free exchange of ideas and concepts between our people.
Historically this has been in many forums but with the changing times this exchange has become limited. We must encourage greater participation in our public bodies, encouraging people of differing views to enter into the conversation. Offer yourself to serve on one of the many boards and commissions that advise the city commission. Good ideas come from many places and they must be given the opportunity to be expressed. There is a perceived decline in social capital in recent decades as reflected in declining voter turnout, participation in local organizations and church attendence.