When Your Husband Joins Your Meeting About Connection
My husband has been hearing about our HumansFirst meetings for the last few weeks, and that we are currently talking about connection. So he decided to step up to the plate and join our recent meeting! Our host Kevin Monroe said it was the first time a husband and wife were on the hangout. I normally share my impressions in a post, but this week I’m sharing my husband’s.
Impressions from my husband, Ofer Nakash, a lecturer, and connection expert:
Last Friday I was able to participate in a very interesting zoom conversation. People from all over the world took part in it. They came with a common intention to understand together, how our connection is a good and necessary thing for us. I really enjoyed the general vibe of simplicity, sincerity and goodwill. When you think about it, it is quite an extraordinary initiative in today’s special stage.
Today the world is like a small village. We can be connected to any part of the world, and participate in anything happening around us with the push of a button.
Why is this a special stage? Because we are gradually discovering that we are connected. We are currently interpreting globalization in economic terms, because we still don’t have the ability to understand how this is expressed from a human and social perspective.
And along with this amazing discovery that we are connected, we also discover a certain kind of rejection from each other. Youngsters today just want to be left alone; they prefer a screen, pizza and Wi-Fi over contact and connection with others. And the rest of the world is behind their smartphone. This is a special type of relationship, stemming from the fact that we feel rejection from one another due to the ego that keeps us apart.
So the global world that is being revealed to us now includes two simultaneous things:
A) We are linked to each other.
B) We don’t really want to be together.
That is why such gatherings are a real existential alternative for each of us participating. In a nutshell, we are in a period of transition from the end of the individual era and the beginning of the global era. And as we have witnessed throughout human history, a transitional period can take years or even decades. It all depends on us.
All that we need to do is build an environment for people who believe that connection will be better for us. An environment that will strengthen and support us against the currents of life. Our daily routine is very powerful and obligates us to do many things we would be happy to do away with, such as many hours of work (and not always suited to the personal ability of each), family, spouses, friends, children, etc.
The environment is a place where we decide how we want it to be. For example, a place with values such as patience, empathy, respect, appreciation, sincerity, etc. And so a handful of people gather, each of us alone in the world, and we begin to generate positive energy in the place where we meet, and in the values we have chosen.
We determine in our circle the shape and quality of the life that we want, which we have agreed on together, and begin to build it together. Everyone contributes his/her share, and this is no longer a group of individuals, but rather a real gathering. And within it we are actually shaping the place exactly as we see fit, but with the great powers of everyone who participates.
So if you meet once a week, what else can you do? Here are some suggestions:
A) Zoom sessions once or twice a day for fifteen minutes, where you read an interesting excerpt and discuss how you feel about it.
For example: Good Luck by R. Kipling
“If you learn to give as you take,
If you know how to listen — before you argue,
If you consider again — before you boil over…
If at times you compromise— and you will be the one who forgives,
If you try a little — to also make others happy,
Then you will know at last and everyone will know -
That you grew and matured into a human being.”
Then do a round where everyone says two brief sentences. For example, “Hello friends, I am busy today at work and I’ll probably get home late … happy to be with you. This gives me a lot of strength to continue.”
B) A weekly discussion of current events. Relationships, family, children’s education, security, happiness. We all know the subject in advance, so that everyone can prepare by reading up on the subject. We take real examples from life, and have a discussion about the topic. The whole point of the meaningful discussion is to inspire one another by listening to each other, sharing problems, suggesting solutions and ideas on how to do things, tips we heard from a friend, etc. In this way we help each other in matters of our daily life.
C) A Whatsapp group that enables a quick connection and main place for all updates.
D) A shared page with all the summaries of the meetings, published posts of members, books written, and published articles— any and all materials that impress us, which we can even learn something from. Anything that will add to the pleasant environment we want to build.
Meeting Format
It would really be worthwhile to conduct the meetings in a workshop format.
What does this mean? The subject would be published in advance before the meeting, along with the questions if possible. That would really help everyone prepare themselves effectively. Everyone should speak about each question, and be brief enough so there is time to hear all the participants.
Workshop Rules:
Everyone is equal.
Everyone is entitled to express his/her opinion.
No criticism.
Wishing you success!
