Social connections are our lifeblood. As human beings, we need each other to thrive – that’s our innate nature.
The modern culture unfortunately is not aligned to this basic human need. We don’t know our neighbours. Our families are getting smaller. Our interests are getting more polarised. Our political and social systems are straining democracy.
One of the largest problems today is social isolation, the sense of feeling alone, that’s growing into this massive cloud of mental health issues across the world. Of course, there are other contributors – the stark inequality, environmental degradation, climate change – and while we can do what we can in all these areas – there is something we can do which is even simpler.
Build relationships. Build community. And we can start by smiling, reaching out, taking a pause to ask how someone is doing. Can we do that?