[T]echnology enables great service, it doesn't create great service.

→ Chip Conley, Peak

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For many of us, video chats & remote classes have been the closest thing we can get to human connection these days. Even at the start of all this, though, it was clear a virtual experience would always be a poor substitute for an actual one.

In truth, it's been clear that digital is a lesser solution than analog for a long time now. After all, a text has never been better than a hug. An email has never been better than a handwritten note. A 'like' on social has never been better than catching up with a friend over coffee.

The value of most consumer technologies is that they offer increased convenience & speed. Their value is that they decrease friction.

But genuine human connection is rooted in friction. The friction of time, of effort, of attention. It's rooted in the inconvenience of patience & the slowness of listening.

If you're in the business of making change & earning trust, technology can help you do both. But it can't help you more than will deciding to choose the generous, difficult path of connection & service.

That decision, it's a posture. It's a way of moving through the world. It's an attitude worth fostering.

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Functional Branding exists to help change-makers make change. If you're running high on passion & hunger, but low on strategy, I can help. Just hit reply. Let's talk.