(ThyBlackMan.com) I recently read a Facebook post that lamented how the high number of fake people causes one to withdraw from socializing with others. I chimed in on the post and suggested that withdrawing from such people may offer a certain transitory peace, but likely at the expense of social skills. Think about a world where virtually everyone is to themselves; they don’t want to be bothered and they cut themselves off from everyone else. Well guess what? We are veritably in such a world right now. People are lonely. People live like islands in a sea. People are cut off from others.
In the United Kingdom, I recently read that the government there appointed a Minister of Loneliness. Let that sink in. Another article pointed to a “happiness recession”, particularly among young men.
The tide of disconnect among humans is rising; I do not think it’s going to reverse itself in the near future, given the volatile state of political affairs we are now witnessing. America is divided right down the center, left and right and it’s doing nothing but creating a culture of isolation.
What to do? We must attempt to reconnect on three important levels: self, family and community.
Reconnect with Your Self
Notice I did not mention reconnecting with God first. That’s because when we reconnect with ourselves, we by extension reconnect with our Higher Self. We are divinely created; a piece of heaven and a chunk of earth, as the writer Thomas Moore put it. We must reconnect to our own inherent good. That means we must overcome our addiction to “things” – cell phones, tablets, computers, games and other gadgets that keep us sequestered from the rest of humanity and prop up this culture of the lonely.
Find a way to secure quiet time. Spend some time in the chamber of silence. Put away your cell phone for a day. Start small and build. I now leave my cell phone in my car when I go to a store or to the mall. It’s the little things.
Reconnect with your Family and Friends
Most of us pride ourselves in family; we say family is everything. But how true is that statement? How many family members are not on speaking terms? How many sibling rivalries have progressed into all out wars? Too many.
While it is true that family forms the bedrock civilized society, it’s also true that disconnect among family members is a constant source of society chaos. Family disputes and disagreements are normal, but when people begin to experience psychological and physical pain from family dysfunction, something different needs to happen.
Find a way to move past family conflict. Use a family member as a mediator to resolve festering disputes. Some family pain goes back decades, but that does not mean it has to be a generational curse.
Reconnect with your Wider Self
By ‘wider self’ I am speaking of the community. Our communities are in dire need of reconnect; we need people who desire to make a difference. It used to be that the ‘community’ was down the block. Not anymore. Technology, transportation advances and social media has transformed the term community into a borderless phenomenon. The “hood” may still be in a certain part of town, but it’s now more accessible than ever before. You no longer have to go to the hood, these days the hood is next door.
Find a way to be more responsive; to show friendliness toward others. We’ve lost that sense of cordiality and mutual respect. I recall watching a film several years ago called Once Upon a Time When We Colored. It was a different day back then, before integration robbed us of our community ethos and compassion.
Today, find a way to reconnect to yourself, your family and to your wider self.
Staff Writer; W. Eric Croomes
This talented brother is a holistic lifestyle exercise expert and founder and executive coach of Infinite Strategies LLC, a multi-level coaching firm that develops and executes strategies for fitness training, youth achievement and lifestyle management. Eric is an author, fitness professional, holistic life coach and motivational speaker.
In October 2015, Eric released Life’s A Gym: Seven Fitness Principles to Get the Best of Both, which shows readers how to use exercise to attract a feeling of wellness, success and freedom (Infinite Strategies Coaching LLC, 2015) – http://www.infinitestrategiescoaching.com.