Exclusive Communities

Earlier this week i travelled by train, bus and car to visit a friend who lives out in one of the more remote communities. She runs a book club at her church. When she started it three years ago, there were nine members, but now a few have passed away and six remain. She said something that struck me as wise: she felt that it was hard for new people to join the community as the culture within it was so strong. So in May she will stop the group, and reconstitute a new book club in September, so that everyone comes in and feels equal.

Highly coherent communities can become exclusive, not because they are bad, but precisely because their strong internal culture is so successful.