Becoming Whole

Let’s talk pillars of health! More specifically, let’s talk about social connection

Now more than ever

Medical studies have shown that loneliness and lack of connection with others takes more years off your life than smoking

This seems like a drastic conclusion…because social connection means connection with others

“Others”

Others are always scary. They never think exactly like me. Does that mean they are wrong, or am I? Self doubt or self righteous are hard choices. In addition, these others don’t always hear what I’m trying to say like I mean it to be interpreted. I blame them, or I blame me. It’s messy. It’s frustrating.

How can this be good for our health?

I have my theories. In mid life I’ve decided we need each other because truth is real, but it’s big. It’s so big that each of us can only see a small part of the whole. I can describe what I see and understand but it would be a mistake to think, for example, the entire United States of America, is full of magnolias and cherry blossoms. It’s not even right to say that the United States *should* be all full of magnolias and Cherry blossoms. It would take away the hoodoos of Bryce Canyon, or the mountain cliffs of Maine, or the vastness of the great Salt Lake. It would take away the less grand, but equally beautiful experience of the sticky humid midwestern summer under a huge sky of stars.

All are true landscapes. Beauty that is so big and vast that Americans can pick to live in their favorite location, but understand it’s not the only view. Beauty is too big to be held by one persons eyes.

When I travel to a new place I’m always curious. Curiosity is the point of travel. The chance to see a different view. It always grows me as my own life gets richer. Its additive

What if social connection is like traveling? When we stay curious and travel to meet each other and see a different view it grows each of us. It’s additive.

So for our health, we can prepare to understand each other with a curious mind. We can be “from” somewhere and also appreciate with curiosity the other landscape seen from others. “Others” are our secret gift to see the whole.

“Others”

Now more than ever.