This week the conversation was kicked off by coWORKer Tom Harrison, our cartographer of hiking map fame. What started off as a question about an installation he’s planning for next year’s Burning Man turned into the larger question of how do we incorporate the utopic principles lived on the Playa into our daily lives. The concepts of barter and social capital quickly gained our attention. Which led to the debate over whether or not social capital needs to be counted. Interestingly, this ties right back into the happiness conversation from last week, in particular, the Chip Conley TED talk on counting what really counts that I posted on our Facebook Page. Aqus Community and its founder John Crowley were, of course, mentioned immediately as great promoters of social capital. Personally, the power of social capital really hit home with parenthood. “It takes a village” is still true today and having a strong community makes life easier and richer.

I found the Wikipedia Definition to be a great start:

In sociology, social capital is the expected collective or economic benefits derived from the preferential treatment and cooperation between individuals and groups. Although different social sciences emphasize different aspects of social capital, they tend to share the core idea “that social networks have value”. Just as a screwdriver (physical capital) or a university education (cultural capital or human capital) can increase productivity (both individual and collective), so do social contacts affect the productivity of individuals and groups”.

Wow! Sounds like yet another endorsement for the benefits of coworking. 😉

Our conversation hopped around (for links to some of the myriad ideas hit upon, please see our facebook page) but toward the end of the record hour and a half long chat, guest Paul Werbaneth hit upon another interesting concept: That of prestalgia- or trying to deduce today what we will find nostalgic in the future. Fifty years from now when people think back to Petaluma in 2012, what will they appreciate, what will they yearn for, what will they wish they still had? If we can predict what that might be, can we then work to preserve and protect it? We thought this was a made up word, but when I googled it, low and behold- it’s out there!

To join the conversation in person, stop by WORK Tuesdays at ten. You never know where your thoughts might end up…

Natasha