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Writer Clive Thompson starts off with an example that gives modern relevance to how heeding the "kindness of strangers" might revolutionize your life. During a Brooklyn Heights house hunt, his wife Emily randomly updated her Facebook status to declare her surprise after receiving Wi-Fi at the 15th Street subway (a true shock, indeed); friends responded amicably— and, so does Anne, a woman Emily barely remembered. Suddenly, things get interesting. "...Anne pointed out that hey, coincidentally, she had some friends who were just about to put their house on the market in that area. Next week, in fact! Quickly the dominoes began to topple."
So, just like that, a woman with no seeming relevance to their lives ended up leading the couple to their new home.