NO MAN IS AN ISLAND
The sixteenth-century poet John Donne's words are true for
all of us. We are all part of a wider group, and often unhappiness is caused when, for whatever reason, we feel
isolated from that group. Deliberately connecting with
others can help to reduce this sense of disconnection, and
we can do that by reaching out to strangers as well as
people we already know.
We can connect with others through very simple gestures, such as looking them directly in the eye, smiling, shaking hands positively, holding a door open, offering a seat, giving directions to someone who is lost, and in many other ways. When we connect with someone—particularly a stranger, whom we could easily ignore as we drift along on autopilot—we bring ourselves into the present. At that moment of exchange there is a connection: we have noticed them, and they have noticed us. When we do something positive for someone else we make ourselves feel good as well as them. They will feel that someone has noticed them, which means they matter, they are seen. In that moment they are not alone.
We can begin with people with whom we interact throughout our day: the barista handing us a drink, the bus driver taking our fare, the store assistant handing us our goods.
Experiment with this and reflect on what you notice.
No comments:
Post a Comment