Networking

There is one benefit of being among the Exclusive Brethren that is extremely hard to replicate. That is the sheer number of people willing to share information and experience.

Admittedly it's not the advantage it once was, as ad hoc communities form and dissolve via modern means all the time these days for that very purpose. But the EB network is still ahead, particularly in some areas. Business, for example.

In fact, that's a good example to take. There are other business-to-business networks, but I doubt any of them have the mutual trust and consistency of the brethren community. For most, business is competition, and if you find a way to get ahead, you guard it. Not so among the brethren. It's long been the case that if you had a problem there would be someone somewhere with the experience to solve it, but now it's even beyond that, with active programs of coaching in business methods. That means that if you start in business, you have a large pool of expertise to call on, both general and specific. People will know what works in your area, and others will almost certainly know about the particular business.

That explains, of course, why you see the same types of business repeated over and over in different places. Some may have opinions on why so much trouble is taken to seed and develop business success, but although cynical about many things I like to think it's mostly altruism, at least in individual cases.

It works in other ways, too. Any professional person good enough to impress one brother or sister can expect an increasing flood of custom from others in the future, as anyone within reach with a similar problem will be directed to the solution that's worked best in the past.

If you've never had a network like this, it's probably difficult to imagine. I think it must be unusual to feel you can trust the opinions of several thousand people as much as your closest friends.

Obviously I don't know, but I am assuming that the sudden removal of that network must be among the hardest things to adapt to after leaving. I picture myself doing almost anything that needs doing, from finding where to live to earning an income to making friends, and all of it needs connections. Not only do I have little idea what choices to make for myself, but many things involve others deciding whether to choose me. How will they get an idea of my worth as a person when I have no pieces of paper to say I can do anything, and no people to call on to vouch for me? Will I get a chance?

There's a clue there for anyone wondering why I'm blogging.