Hannah Stokes is a 20 year-old nursing student at Salt Lake Community College. With a deep compassion for all forms of life, she first became interested in the wild horse issue in a biology class. She is a nature-enthusiast, and when she's not completely swamped with homework, she enjoys spending her time in Utah's canyons - camping, hiking, fishing, and swimming. She has had a deep love for literature, in all forms, for most of her life, and believes truly in the power of words.
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A Note on Social Capital by Hannah Stokes
Social capital is the backbone to change; it is the outcome of any kind of social interaction, whether it be social media or networks, institutions, or groups. This outcome can be something that is intangible or impossible for one person to achieve alone, but with social capital, it is achievable. Social capital entails a sense of communication, identity, purpose, shared values, shared understanding, sympathy, and trust among a society or group. Writing, as I’ve learned, is an action. With writing, one can achieve all actions of social advocacy: research, protest, education, persuasion, argument, and calling to action. Writing is a conversation between the writer and the reader, and it takes both to communicate and facilitate the message. Writing requires both the writer and reader to meet each other at a common ground of understanding. The writer must communicate to and validate the reader in a way that they may understand. The reader, on the other hand, must agree to keep an open mind to the writer’s ideas, and be willing to contemplate their proposal. These steps are the fundamentals to any sort of communication, which is crucial to social capital. Without communication of an idea, social capital cannot exist, and writing happens to be one of the most dignified and explanatory methods of communication. Writing can cut out petty argument or misunderstanding, and it gives both the writer and reader ample time to understand and discuss the issue at hand. So if communication is the key to social capital, then writing could be the best way to unlock it. Just like communication, if the writing isn’t facilitated correctly by either the writer or the reader, then it can destroy social capital. A key element of social capital includes creating a culture of communication and discussion. When a society creates a culture of black-or-white, 'you’re either right or you’re wrong,' type of attitudes, or when issues aren’t up for contemplation and discussion, then social capital cannot exist. In this culture, if everything is black-or-white, then there becomes a fear of speaking up for a middle-ground. Open-mindedness needs to exist for individuals to trust to communicate their ideas without being met with hostility. Finally, a focus on education and research is required for social capital to thrive. Community can exist without education, however, community won’t strive for greater unless they know of something to strive for; education facilitates growth. With the wild horse issue in mind, social capital is the way that individuals can make a change they believe in. The horses can't speak for themselves, so it has fallen into the hands of the people. Due to the complexity of the issue, many individuals might feel undecided on their opinion. On the other hand, many people, especially individuals with personal connections to horses and the land that they reside on, have strong opinions about the issue. Either side you fall on, it's crucial to practice social capital. By connecting and discussing with others, in any form, you can find answers to your uncertainties, You can see different perspectives, increase your understanding, and make the changes that your involvement leads you to. |
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