Ran Across the Following Blog by Sam Metcalf
Any movement which has benefited society in the long haul has at its core a group of people committed to a cause that they consider greater than themselves and to one another as friends.
– James McGregor Burns
One of the facts I’ve come to embrace over the years is that movements run on relationships more than any other factor. I cannot think of a single movement — be it religious, social or political — where at its core there was not a profound relational dynamic.
Some questions:
- If I am part of a movement, where is the relational nexus?
- What is my contribution to the relational dynamic?
- What is done to intentionally or inadvertently to nourish this relational dynamic?
- What or who are the detractors to the relational synergy and how are they remedied or minimized?
- Who are the key players in the relational mix? Who stewards the relational component of the movement?
- Are the relationships based on the dual components that Burns articulates: a cause and friendship?
Momentum in a movement is a precious commodity. It’s hard to get and it’s hard to keep. But the primary component of acquiring and sustaining momentum always has been and always will be relationships.
From: Friends and Movements Sam Metcalf’s Blog Under The Iceberg: