I’ve been thinking a lot about the book The City & the City by China Miéville. It describes a town in which two sets of people share the same physical space but do not acknowledge each other. For that matter, they are forbidden to do so.

I remember being surprised in 1992 when Bill Clinton won the election. I lived in Texas and everyone I knew was voting for Bush. Now, I live in California and the same thing snuck up on me again this week. There’s very little learning there.

But it’s not just where I live because technology has allowed a nation like in the book. Today, my Twitter feed is filled with anxiety, sadness, outrage, and very scared people. I am certain there are people nearby, not to mention in all those (many) red states, that have an exceptionally different feed: one full of hope, expectation, and triumph. And there is no connection between the two.

In that 1992 election, it was the economy (stupid) and the need for change. I’m certainly not a political analyst, but that rings just as true this week. All the jobs numbers are up over the last 8 years, but not everywhere and not for everyone. This has caused a rift.

Forward

Where do we go from here? I believe it’s best for each of use to use our talents and position as leverage to make a difference. In my case, I can help literally provide work in these areas of the country.

TaskRabbit has been focusing on its largest markets because there is still plenty of room to grow there. And the whole thing is a hard problem. The focus helps, but our map is somewhat bare in Middle America. For me, this election is a kick in the pants to get there sooner than later.

The biggest fail there would be to believe that we can “save” people from on high by bestowing the magic of technology. Fortunately, even as the chief technologist at TaskRabbit, I understand that’s not where the value lies. It’s always been about neighbors helping neighbors. We’re just there to make the real-life connection.

I don’t know about you, but I think we could all really use a few more real-life connections at the moment.