How well you do in life shouldn't depend on how well your parents did.

School performance, public health, crime rates, clinical depression, tax compliance, philanthropy, race relations, community development, census returns, teen suicide, economic productivity, campaign finance, even simple human happiness - all are demonstrably affected by how (and whether) we connect with our family and friends and neighbours and co-workers.

Positive people have more friends which is a key factor of happiness and longevity.

Our national myths often exaggerate the role of the individual heroes and understate the importance of collective effort.

How well you do in life shouldn't depend on how well your parents did.

Social capital may turn out to be a prerequisite for, rather than a consequence of, effective computer-mediated communication.

What really matters from the point of view of social capital and civic engagement is not merely nominal membership, but active and involved membership.