海角大神

People living in highly diverse countries often look to government to mend the rips and tears of their social fabric. In 2008, Barack Obama promised to bring Americans closer together. In 2012, Rick Santorum is the lead proponent for restoring social cohesion, starting with the family.

And then there is the British experiment to create an 鈥渋ntegrated鈥� society based on shared common values.

The best example is an event planned for June 3. Millions of people are expected to sit down with neighbors for a lunch in street parties across Britain. Breaking bread together, it is hoped, will break down social barriers between people, reducing crime, racism, and religious extremism.

And maybe, just maybe, the English street riots of 2011 won鈥檛 be repeated. And alienated Muslims won鈥檛 become home-grown terrorists.

The idea for this nationwide 鈥淏ig Lunch鈥� was started in 2009 by a private group, the Eden Project. Last year, more than 2 million of Britain鈥檚 61 million people took part. This year, the event could ballon. It happens to fall on the same day as the celebration of Queen Elizabeth鈥檚 60 years on the throne. Her Majesty has heartily endorsed the local community-building as a way to mark this diamond jubilee.

Big Lunch fits into the concept of a 鈥淏ig Society鈥� promoted by Britain鈥檚 Conservative prime minister, David Cameron. While his idea has floundered in a difficult economy, it has found some traction by pushing more authority to local bodies. A 鈥渘ational citizen service鈥� is being started for 30,000 young people. And to help children feel part of a community, 20,000 volunteers are being enlisted to build playgrounds.

A recent survey of integrity by the University of Essex finds people in Britain to be less honest than they were 10 years ago. The study鈥檚 author, Paul Whiteley, says this lower level of integrity reduces a person鈥檚 sense of civic duty.

鈥淚f social capital is low and people are suspicious and don鈥檛 work together, those communities have worse health, worse educational performance,鈥� he said.

For decades, both America and Britain have struggled to counter increasing social isolation 鈥� at least physical isolation. In the United States, for example, the majority of adults over 18 will be single within a few years. Yet with the Internet, many people have found electronic niche communities, even if their 鈥渇riends鈥� are 10,000 miles away.

Ever since Alexis de Tocqueville鈥檚 鈥淒emocracy in America,鈥� books about the nation鈥檚 social fabric have tried to explain what brings people together or pulls them apart. In 2000, 鈥淏owling Alone,鈥� by Harvard scholar Robert Putnam, gives a measure of the聽 decline in civic health and trust. He found that about half of social cohesion depends on religious activity and commitment.

A new book, 鈥淩eligion for Atheists: A Non-believer鈥檚 Guide to the Uses of Religion,鈥� written by a Swiss writer in Britain, Alain de Botton, argues that religion has long created a sense of community, but its decline now calls for secular ways to do the same task.

鈥淭here once existed a degree of neighborliness that has been replaced by ruthless anonymity, by the pursuit of contact with one another primarily for individualistic ends: for financial gain, social advancement or romantic love,鈥� he writes. One of the author鈥檚 ideas is to create 鈥淎gape Restaurants鈥� where diners are encouraged to mingle and talk 鈥� which sounds a lot like Big Lunch.

Government can overplay its hand in trying to restore social cohesion. Critics rightly warn of forced assimilation and conformity. Finding a balance between coercive methods and simply kick-starting a voluntary effort at community building can be difficult.

The Big Lunch for the queen鈥檚 jubilee may be the right mix. The big test, however, will come in 2013. How many of those same neighbors will break bread again in street parties?