This is the one who wrote to you on Feb 29th. I figure my chances of winning twice in three weeks are 1 in 1.6 million (lucky, I know; I applied for a UK visa today so here's hoping this continues...). I'm going to take this opportunity to share with you the data we got back from the survey in my first email, and to give those who did respond the chance to contribute something. Their thoughts are below.The question was simple: What percentage of your Facebook friends live further than a day-trip away? It's a question of where your social awareness lies.
Based on the respondents, if the Listserve was to be boiled down to a single person we would be a 34-year-old living 3475km (2159 miles) from where we grew up. For perspective, that's roughly Vancouver to Ottawa, London to Beirut or Mumbai to Kuala Lumpur. And over half of our Facebook community (55.84%) would live more than a day-trip distance away.
As more data arrived in these averages budged surprisingly little, so I think we have an accurate composite of who the Listserve serves. But, I figured our data would be skewed by those of us in our twenties who have recently moved for post-secondary. Turns out age is not remotely a factor in our distance from our friends or from home.
Age | Avg. friends too distant (%) | Avg. distance from hometown (miles)*
18-25 | 60.04% | 2703
25-35 | 58.34% | 2260
35-60 | 65.80% | 2360
60+ | 29.49% | 559
The only dip occurs for those over 60, and I imagine that is not due to travel friends never made, but to travel friends made too long ago to reconnect.
So it isn't a generational divide. What does affect our community is how distant we are from our own hometown.
Distance from hometown (miles) | Avg. friends too distant (%)
<500 | 32.05%
500-1500 | 66.85%
1500-4000 | 69.04%
4000+ | 73.93%
I would say the jump from 1/3 to 2/3 reflects the new social circle we're forced to make once we live further than a day's travel from home. After which point it doesn't really matter how distant the city is.
Based on our respondents, each year spent living away from home expands our community by 4.81% in new, local connections.
So here's to making our home and community wherever it feels right, and to the many people who responded with their own story of struggling to stay home.
And now to share the soapbox!
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Many people call themselves "global citizens". I wonder
how we might create structures of global citizenship-- a global parliament & constitution, evolved democratically from below. Reactions?
Has anyone read Planethood, or Monbiot's Age of Consent?
Thanks!
-- [email protected] @GreatConvergnce
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If you feel you need more motivation, you need to change your environment. You are highly dependent on it. Study in libraries, remove distractions. Don't read books on your PC.
Try to adjust spending on items by how much time you will use them.
Buy experiences rather than things.
-- Karol
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Book recommendations received included:
Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community
Robert G. Putnam
The Citizenship Revolution
Douglas Bradburn
This Is an Uprising: How Nonviolent Revolt Is Shaping the Twenty-First Century
Mark & Paul Engler
History is a Weapon
Bill Moyer
So long,
The Window Seat
[email protected]
Ottawa, Canada