The Foundation of Circles
The heart of the Circles model is relationships. We are building community to end poverty, and the science backs us up. You might be thinking, "Of course it does, Kris! You have tons of data proving that strong, positive relationships help break the cycle of poverty." And you’d be right. Our research consistently shows that poverty is rooted in isolation and oppression; and the more we build truly equitable, diverse communities, the more we reduce poverty.
But today, I want to go deeper—not just into data, but into the very nature of relationships themselves. To do that, we need to talk about science, history, and a major shift in how we see the world.
From Mythological to Mechanistic and Beyond: A Shift in Worldview
Humanity has long sought to explain the world around us. Long ago, the mythological worldview was the primary way we understood the world. It explained natural phenomena as the will of gods or deities. For example, thunderstorms weren’t caused by atmospheric pressure and electrical charges, but by Zeus hurling thunderbolts in anger.
The changing of the seasons wasn’t determined by the Earth’s tilt and orbit, but by Maui, the Polynesian demigod, who lassoed the Sun to slow its movement. A rainbow wasn’t light refracting through water to create a spectrum of colors but as God’s promise to humanity never to destroy the world again. These stories provided clarity and purpose in a chaotic world—and, for many people, still do. 🌈
Then, a shift began in the 16th century with Copernicus, who proposed that the Earth orbits the Sun. This idea sparked discoveries from Galileo, Kepler, and Newton, leading to the Mechanistic worldview—that the universe is governed by predictable laws rather than divine will. This new paradigm ushered in the industrial revolution, which we can thank for many of today’s technological advancements and conveniences. It is the primary worldview upon which America is founded and operates: understanding the universe as a machine made of separate, independent parts that can be manipulated without disturbing the whole.
Now, a new perspective is emerging in the Western world: the quantum worldview. Quantum sociology challenges the mechanistic view by emphasizing that everything is interconnected, something that many Indigenous and non-Western cultures have known for centuries. This worldview suggests that relationships, not isolated parts, are key to understanding both the universe and our lives. It tells us that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts and that everything—from particles to people—is interdependent. By integrating scientific knowledge with spiritual understanding and lived experience, this worldview offers a holistic perspective of the world and our place in it.
The Power of Interconnected Systems
Let’s think about the human body. Much of Western medicine treats symptoms in isolation—if you have a headache, you take medicine for your head, because we use logic to observe, discover, and then "fix" the problem. But anyone with a chronic illness knows that we can't look at the parts of the body individually. Pain in the head can originate in the gut, be an indicator of stress levels, dehydration, or even bad posture. The body isn’t a machine with separate, independent parts; it’s an interconnected system. Treating the whole person, rather than isolated symptoms, leads to better health.
Or consider the planet. The mechanistic view suggests that we can exploit one part of the Earth without affecting the rest. But we now know that’s not true. In 2017, a plastic bag was found in the Mariana Trench—36,000 feet below sea level, deeper than Mount Everest is tall. When the Fukushima disaster occurred in 2011, radiation spread across the entire Northern Hemisphere. And without the Sahara Desert, the Amazon Rainforest wouldn’t survive, because dust from that (what we previously considered) barren wasteland provides critical nutrients.
Mycologist (aka mushroom scientist) Paul Stamets expresses this concept in his studies: "I see the mycelium as the Earth’s natural Internet, a consciousness with which we might be able to communicate. ...What a beautiful inspirational model for how human beings might live: In a shared economy based not on greed but on nurturing relationships and mutual cooperation." The Earth, like the human body, is defined by its relationships.
The Myth of the “Self-Made” Person
Yet, our culture still clings to an outdated, individualistic ideal: the self-made person. We love stories of people who “pulled themselves up by their bootstraps” and “overcame the odds.” But no one is truly self-made. None of us independently built the roads we drive on, wired the electricity in our homes, or invented the languages we speak. Every success story is actually a story of relationships—mentors, teachers, family, community, society, history.
At Circles USA’s VIT (Virtual Immersion Training for new Circles Staff across the nation), we play Social Capital Bingo—one of my favorite activities. The Bingo card is filled with tasks others might do for us, like recommending a great restaurant, watching our kids or pets in a pinch, or giving us a ride if our car breaks down. The twist? You can only cover a space if you actually have someone in your life who could do that for you.
The first time I played, I had just moved "home" to the mountains of North Carolina, where I have built-in friends and family. I had two key realizations: first, I am incredibly blessed with a strong support network; and second, my struggles in California and Virginia were, in large part, due to not having the same level of social capital.
During a recent VIT session, a participant had a powerful insight after playing. She said, "I always talk about being a single mother who has to do everything myself, but this showed me that I actually have a lot of support in my life." What a beautiful realization to witness.
Circles and the Quantum Model: Relationships as the Solution
So there you have it. Circles isn’t just addressing poverty within the current American paradigm of individualism—we are integrating the wisdom of a new scientific understanding that validates what some cultures have known for generations. A quantum perspective reveals the interconnectedness of the Universe, uniting seemingly disparate ideas, beliefs, perspectives, and people. The quantum model shows us that relationships don’t just enhance our lives—they define them. When we build intentional, diverse communities, we become more than we ever could alone. Every person is necessary, and the strength of our society depends on uplifting everyone. The transformation we see in Circles isn’t just about individuals overcoming poverty; it’s about an entire network—Circle Leaders, Allies, volunteers, and staff—growing stronger together.
We aren’t solving poverty by building a person’s independence (bootstraps only) or by solidifying their dependence (reliance on the benefits system as sole support), but through interdependence. As a Circle Leader’s situation improves, so does their entire community. This is the power of relationships: not just a tool for change, but the very foundation of it.
When we embrace this truth—that relationships are the key to transformation—we step into a new paradigm, one that sees the world not as a machine, but as a web of connection where every thread matters. And that is how we end poverty: together.
Read more from Kris on our blog:
The Learning Curve Chronicles: Youth, Varying Exceptionalities, & Poverty