The Power of Connectedness

By: Mike Lloyd

There is a great deal of power in connectedness.

The power I speak of is the power of love and the power to make the world a better place—an opportunity to promote good and bring a little bit of heaven to Earth now.

The majority of life is about feeling needs and desires and then seeking to satisfy them. Abraham Maslow famously diagrammed this concept in 1943 when he published his thoughts about Man’s hierarchy of needs.

We ascend and descend the hierarchy of needs daily, whether we realize it or not, and we need the help of our communities and institutions to meet our needs. UniteBoston was created to enable needs to be met and satisfied by people and institutions within the Christian community. The power is in the linkages, the quality, and the quantity.

Needs can take many shapes and sizes. Someone may need a job, a last-minute cup of sugar, a place to get cleaned up, a pair of shoes, a bike, a meal, a wife, a husband, etc. Only the future can tell if the person you haven’t met yet will be able to help you.

Every person and institution that you are connected with increases the likelihood that your needs will be meet within your social community. It is like a web that keeps getting bigger and stronger. With each new link, the overall strength and power increases. Further, it is a win-win game, not zero-sum. Does it get better than that?

I love the concept behind UniteBoston because it encourages a more connected community, a more connected city, in hopes of unlocking and better making available this power of connection, of unity.

One of the most famous biblical examples of ideal Christian living in community is found in Acts 2: “All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.”

It is hard to read that great passage and not feel the beautiful power of connectedness.

Mike Lloyd is the Executive Director of UniteBoston