Sagesse Noblise

CONNECTED BUT NOT CONTACTED

From an early age, we are taught independence. And, as social beings we are forced into self-reliance, mostly due to North American cultural pressure.

“We are responsible for each other” someone once told me, and this was not just some philosophical babble my friend reiterated. I ponder this statement from time to time.

Modernized broadcasting “we are not_enough” is constantly bombarding our civilization. Maybe it is meant to deceive us to buy more, but it also generates a kind of dissatisfaction with our human interactions – fully  baseless. Sad to say, but our ‘On-Demand’ economy is paralyzing one-on-one relations.

In 2007, at my insistence, my husband & flew to Las Vegas to see the theatrical production of  ‘Love – The Beatles’ musical by Cirque de Soleil.  The shows storyline was magical and most impressionable was the performance of Eleanor Rigby; with the anthem…. “Ah, look at all the lonely people”.  We left in astonishment, full of Love & wonder. However, just outside The Mirage Hotel, I could see all sorts of ‘lonely people’.

For some time I’ve been contemplating just how lonely society is honestly becoming. No matter what challenges people face, the underlying truth is most people are lonely and have emotional pain because of it.  The disconnection of not being in contact conjures up being abandoned or excluded.  Belonging, as members of society, is not just good for us but a necessity for life.

Scientifically, we know our immune systems and response to physical, psychological and emotional stress is fine-tuned by human exchange, and such interactions are necessary.  

So why are so we rigidly standing alone, creating solitary confinement bubbles for ourselves?  What is going to make us psychologically healthy is not achieved by avoiding each other and our emotional states. How many of us obsess over exposing ourselves to ‘normal boundaries’, we set with dread, attempting to be shielded by the seemingly weak or ‘sensitive’ nature of others?   There is no shame in needing people; the bridges we build today will continue to support our health and each other!

One solution is to seek comfort in conscious gatherings. Take time for a coffee or lunch, together. Fewer people join clubs anymore, so why not take classes and make an effort to spend quality time to know thyself & be with others.

I believe the bedrock of humanity is in our connections to each other. And these days, we seem to value achievement more than relationships in pursuit of success.

Devices are distracting enough, right? They boost the impression we are ‘too busy’ for anything else.  Left to our own devices (literally) we will suffer more, confused by the fantasy, like a hallucination. All the machinery, gadgets, accessories, mechanism, will only satisfy for as long as the stream of entertainment allows. What this convenience appears to be doing is making us forget what we know about life.  And that being in community, sitting together, conversing, enjoying a meal, sharing in our human heritage is our birthright.

Sure scientific advances in technology do a lot for us, but does that mean that we should roll over & permit it to take over?  If all this technology continues to leads to more isolation, greater loneliness will abide and people will not know whom they can turn to for help. Can life be lived without a purpose, or a feeling that we are not needed or valued? Not so.

There are actual places that thrive and bring people together. Agree to become a part of something outside the ‘bubble of isolation’ and come to ‘know thyself’ better. Avoid the working-class struggle to stagnate. Say hello to your neighbors and all passerby’s. 

To repair the structure of society, we need to make contact with people in the flesh.  Redirect the erosion of endless hours of distractions; quest to work for our wealth-being of those you love and would love to know. We can all switch off the malaise of loneliness by getting to know someone better.

Stay in contact and Let Love Live.