Seth Kaplan is a leading expert in fragile states. In other words, he’s spent years researching the ways that division and discord take hold. When it comes to resisting those fractures, Kaplan has discovered a consistent truth: the critical ingredient for a stable community is healthy relationships.
That’s why Kaplan, who has worked in 35 countries around the world, pays attention to how people treat one another in each society he visits. In his own life, Kaplan and his family view their neighborhood as a network—building relationships for the sake of deep friendship and mutual flourishing.
Sometimes, this looks like evenings on the porch with meals, long conversations, and kids running to and fro. Once, it looked like Kaplan’s wife bolting out the door to the neighbor’s house, their child in her arms, after the little one hurt herself. When they returned, she was all patched up. The nurse a few houses down had tended to her immediately.
On a new episode of The Russell Moore Show, Kaplan shares more stories and concrete advice for fostering resilience and relational depth within neighborhoods. Whether we live in communities that are thriving or the tone is one of tension, may we consider how to build stronger connections with the people next door. And in doing so, may we find new friendships that create meaningful bonds and empower healthy communities.