Interconnectedness, Now More Than Ever
Our prosperous times often seem to be taken for granted, and our personal relationships have suffered the most.
We live in truly abundant, prosperous, and unbelievable times. The progress we’ve seen in the past 50 years rivals innovation over the past thousand, and yet I can’t help this sinking feeling that I have on a near-daily basis.
I’m ashamed to say it, but I barely know my neighbors. They’re wonderful people I’m sure, and we exchange pleasantries, but we’re all so busy, aren’t we? Family, friends, work, hobbies. Who has the time?
It’s not often we sit around and wonder if we could derive more joy from sitting around a fire and talking over drinks with our next-door neighbor rather than ensuring we catch that playoff game or episode of The Voice.
We’ll complain the entire time anyways and simply justify our wasted time on needing to stay up to date so we can discuss what happened with our colleagues on Monday
Colleagues? Do we know them either? Or our own families? How deeply do we truly know each other anymore?
When I call these ideas to mind I feel a tightness in my chest. Are we doing all of this wrong? Is there any way to reverse course on this trend of impossibly complex global connection yet disconnected or nonexistent relationships with those who live the next yard over?
I’m struggling with this today. I’m unhappy with the state of things and unsure how I could ever make an impact — one that would truly help.
And yet, as I sit and think, I realize the temptation it seems I always have to feel like an impact needs to be on a global scale.
Change happens at the level of the individual. We start small. We grow in number, and from there, we can make a true impact.
Change
It starts with inviting your neighbor to dinner — as uncomfortable as that may seem at first.
It’s asking your colleague at work how their weekend was — and truly wanting to know the answer
There’s beauty in these relationships, and I’ve found that over the years a lot of my struggles have been self-induced. The world is a truly amazing and beautiful place, full of incredible people with interesting stories to tell. We can’t let the 24-hour news cycle fool us.
We each have something incredible to contribute, even if it is just checking in on our neighbors and working to build a better community around you.
The impact may not be as small as we think it is.
Please consider reading this wonderful poem by Dr. Preeti Singh:
