Connection fuels growth

It seems to me that the biggest factor in a person's personal and spiritual growth is their connection to other people. When a single marries he or she usually experiences turbulence and growth. College students on their own get into trouble. Disengaged couples struggle in their marriages. Chad and I joke that singles should get married for discipleship purposes only--to rub off their rough edges. Leaders in the church who are isolated--not in body but in heart--tend to stall their own growth. I've commonly seen that the undoing of a leader is his fear to be known "for real" in community. The untouched places are his influence "ceiling". This is one reason I love the latino culture in which I find myself. They connect more easily than their insulated northern neighbors. This is a broad stroke and there are many exceptions; however, their cultural pattern is strikingly different. The loyalty to the family group precedes personal goals and independence. I want to fight my own introversion and self protection to be able to truly grow. I don't want to become suspicious and distrustful of others, so afraid of what they might do to me that I cannot receive from them what good they have to offer.