Sphere of influence.

Here is a question for everyone. Please give me your feedback/opinion. This is something I'm (somewhat ashamed to admit) just beginning to process. Facebook recently changed how you can list your friends. (Or I'm just noticing it) You can now put your friends into categories. You decide what to name the category then insert friend that fits description. Compared to some I know I have almost no friends however I am quite proud of the fact that I can lay claim to over 250 friends (At present moment I believe 268). I went about putting my friends into their specific categories. Church, high school, college, work and of course family. After I finished I began to scroll through my friends to see who was left that didn't fit into any of those categories. I had 13 out of 268 left. Out of those 13 I could connect all except 4 to a friend of a friend. To be honest the other 4 are female I'm male you figure it out. I found a way to meet them.

Here is my question. As humans I've always known we are "Pack animals" we hang around others of like mind and look. We rarely venture outside of the pack. IS THIS A GOOD THING? If we don't venture out of the pack how are we to learn (I mean really learn)? How are we to expand our horizons? On the other hand if we have a message how do we expect others to pick it up? Our pack has most likely heard it already. If we have something to teach who are we supposed to teach? 

Maybe I'm the only one here that doesn't stray far from the pack but I don't think so. I'm not saying we need to go to the extreme of hanging out in a strange neighborhood and introducing ourselves to everyone that walks by (Even though that may not be a bad idea). But I am asking what can we do to meet others that we encounter in our day to day? Do you have a coffee shop you go to on a regular basis? a restaurant, bar? Have you met other regulars? How well do you know your server? At work how often do we introduce ourselves to the person walking beside us in and out of the office? I remember my Junior year of college I decided to say hello to everyone walking in and out of the apartment building I was in. I met and became friends with more people in the first two weeks of school than I did the previous two years. Why haven't I continued the pattern? Because it's easier to just walk past someone. How much are we missing by doing that?

I currently have some of the best friends a guy could ever ask for and I thank God for each and every one of them. They lift me up when I need support. They hold me accountable. We've had some great times together and I hope those friendships continue for years to come. But what am I missing by only hanging with-in my pack? Who out there needs what I could share? I will always make sure I'm plugged in with my pack. However don't you think "IT'S TIME TO VENTURE OUTSIDE THE PACK!"