Antidotes include: - join the YMCA or other community gym: It’s true that some of my experience could be related to Oakland as a whole, which is an exceptiona

Antidotes include: - join the YMCA or other community gym: It’s true that some of my experience could be related to Oakland as a whole, which is an exceptionally diverse city. But I’ve visited other gyms and workout facilities in my area, and none of them look anything like the YMCA. They all lack the wide range of age, race, gender, and ability. I’ve also visited YMCAs in other states, most recently in Michigan and North Carolina, and they had a very similar vibe to my own. I’ve come to conclude that whatever I lose out on from not going to an upscale or hyperspecialized gym, the YMCA makes up for, because it gives me a much broader sense of community and allows me to interact with people—in real life, no less—who I otherwise wouldn’t. Does this solve all of the world’s problems? Of course not. But I think it’s a small step in the right direction. https://www.outsideonline.com/2403867/ymca-local-gyms-good-world https://www.outsideonline.com/2403867/ymca-local-gyms-good-w... - spend more time in civic spaces like libraries and public parks. Or just being outside in public with an open mind. - speaking of civic involvement, active participation in your local government will for sure broaden your social circles. - religious organizations -- at least, good ones -- are cross-sectional in this way too. Quoting MLK Jr, "... any [church] that violates the "whosoever will, let him come" doctrine is a dead, cold thing, and nothing but a little social club with a thin veneer of religiosity." - community work, like habitat for humanity or the like, will put you in a new sphere of folks too.