Paul Sparks is a relational scientist and a student of social bonds. He is obsessed with the notion of what he calls “relational community.”



Sparks is also a social being, making him a subject of his own studies; ergo the relationships he forms are his greatest source of theory.



While most science would seek to separate the scientist from the subject, Sparks forms relationships in order to know. The most current incarnation of his studies is called Local Life Tacoma, a life coaching and community activist organization that coaches 30-40 people on a weekly basis hoping that they take part in a more local, sustainable way of life. Sparks is also responsible for some key speakers who have hosted forums in the past few months around these themes, namely Jim Diers and James Howard Kuntsler. 



Recently he has been on the brink of something big, which means he drags me on day-long walks while he excitedly befuddles me with mind expanding philosophies and notions of enlightenment far beyond my average wavelength. This week we discussed the difference between place and space. This exploration into meaning may seem trite, but I know Sparks well enough to trust the process. Our conversations have consistently opened my mind and quite literally changed my life.



Sparks is hoping to work on a community project downtown with the man responsible for the Pomegranite Center, Milenko Matanovic, who helped shape the new and very heartening face of Salishan in eastside Tacoma. This process will facilitate a citizen empowered approach to downtown community development that makes sure to include the heart and soul of the people while maintaining design consistent with the city’s historical identity.



Sparks is one of the few men whom I have met who actually lives his life according to the story that he tells. It’s easy to repeat buzzwords and attend gatherings, but a life that is dedicated to something other than oneself is exceedingly rare. In his personal life he is currently conducting some social experiments that included dropping his cell phone into a glass of water in order to discover how it would change his face-to-face relationships. 



“I am not a Technophobe,” he says. “This is just a temporary experiment to understand the impact it has on my relational web.” 



Spark‘s radical approach to discovery is humble and refreshing; he is a quiet genius and the wisest man I have ever known.



For more information on Local Life Tacoma, go to www.myspace.com/locallifetacoma