Connections are Capital

The best things in life aren't things. Relationships, for one, kick ass, and I don't just mean romantic ones. Recently, I've become spellbound by the nature of RELATIONSHIPS and their overlooked power.

Hydration is half the battle.

Hydration really is half the battle.

Tough Mudder for ants

Tough Mudder for humans

I have no idea where I'm going. You have no idea where you're going. But TOGETHER, we pretty much know which way to go.

Why won't we take the honey and give the royal jelly to this girl and make her have all the babies.

Flying V-- nature

Flying V-- cinema (Mighty Ducks)

The Stadium Wave-- even impersonal relationships can make amazing things happen.

Calorie for calorie, Joule for Joule, a peloton is the most efficient form of locomotion on the Planet!

The rider in front of this pace line is doing the most work. Everyone behind him is riding at the same speed but using about 30% less effort.

Slightly more complicated than the traditional pace line above is the group cycling tactic known as the Belgian Wheel. Instead of one pace line, there are two-- a fast line on the right and a slower line on the left. Each person's turn at the front of the right pace line is super-fast. Then that person peels off to the left, catching a break, and gradually folds back into the right pace line. See my diagram of the Belgian Wheel below. (I'm sorry if my use of Mexicans offends you. It's the only way I can draw a human from above).

The Belgian Wheel is kind of like a social structure known as a Rotating Credit Association. The concept is basically a potluck dinner club, where each person takes turn hosting the potluck and everyone brings a dish.

Among nineteenth century farmers, it took the form of a good ol' fashioned barn raising. Every first Saturday of the month, for instance, neighbors would take turns helping someone in the group build their barn. This same method is often used by immigrants to America for helping launch entrepreneurial ventures, where traditional lending sources don't step up to the plate. But the act is more than merely a step around the banking system. The greater benefits are the social ties that ensue and the cross-pollination of skill sets and knowledge. The community is better than it would be if the goal were achieved through traditional usury. (O whoops, did I say usury? I'm guess I'm still bitter about the terms of my first business loan).

Neighbors, family, and friends can and should use the Rotating Credit Association for other projects as well. In fact, my brothers and I are using it for all sorts of projects-- from insulating houses to building fences, to excavating random manly stuff we've dreamed of excavating. A derivative of the Rotating Credit Association is even written into the City of Cincinnati's Climate Action Plan, as a strategy to reduce green house gas emissions and help citizens reduce their energy usage through home energy performance upgrades. We'll have to see if we can force that issue a little more this year.