Connection

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest accomplishment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”
― Leo Buscaglia

The feeling of connection is potentially one of the most powerful emotions we feel as human beings and its absence leaves a palpable mark on an individual. Our more recent discoveries of technology have shown us the power of staying connected, in addition to living in a world where we seemingly are connected, yet feel alone at times.

Human connection continues to be a cornerstone of feeling secured and loved. How many times of each us felt elated when feeling the touch of a loved-one, hearing the advice of a friend when sought, or finding a person with whom we feel complete. Indeed, connection between humans is an important facet of human growth.

Although not thought of immediately as an area where connection can be studied, our painful lessons with addiction have shown us both the power of connection and the detrimental impacts of its absence. Although hard to accept at face value, we as a society have become increasingly aware of the nature of addiction and early into this polar-opposite approach of waging a war on drugs, meaningful connections in the immediate environment of an addict play a large role in the quest to fully go clean. Recent case studies have shown us that connection plays a substantial role in decreased drug use, Portugal being a leading example where money was funneled to rehabilitation programs, group therapy programs, and practical necessities such as housing and the like. Drug consumption plummeted, particulary in the age group of 15-24 year-olds; an age group where well-being is critical to long-term emotional and social stability.

If you have ever known anyone close to you who has gone through addiction, you would have invariably understood somewhere along the path of recovery that substance abuse may begin with a quest to participate in external pleasantries, but the substance become a pathway to numb oneself from oneself. Indeed, addiction is the never-ending attempt to numb pain, self-judgement, anxiety and a myriad of other symptoms. Truly, addiction is an attempt to disconnect from all internal and external impulses for fear of feeling.

Connection begins with simple yet often overlooked attribute; How do I know myself to be myself, yet able to act in the collective world around me? Indeed, meaningful external connections are built on the foundation of feeling connection to yourself, warts and all! Being able to connect with our your own thoughts, heart-wishes, impsulses, joy, etc. is the work of a lifetime and establishing the practices to hear your own voice is key.