We have all had to adjust to a new way of being.
The world we live in now is more virtual and les in person.
Yet this does not diminish our need for connection.
In fact, it increases it.
When we are so isolated we don’t see our friends and family, the urge to be with people is heightened.
As we desire to stay safe and keep others safe, our desire to be with others is neglected.
Yes, we can still see people virtually.
An old-fashioned phone call can do wonders these days.
Yet none of it is a replacement for giving and receiving a hug from a good friend.
Nothing can replace the physical necessary of affection shared by people we are closest to.
We all feel that way, we all desire to be with others.
After all, we are social creatures by nature.
We have evolved to live, work and play together.
So when that ability to be with each other is taken away, we are loosing something very essential.
We loose the thing that keeps us human.
Our connection to each other.
So what do we do when miss our friends and family so much?
We honor that feeling.
Not suppress it, and not ignore it.
That only leads to trouble.
When we shine a light on that feeling, we are recognizing that we have a need.
It may be an unmet need, but it is a need nonetheless.
We may not be able to fulfill that need, yet we can learn how important it actually is to us by looking at it.
By seeing it for what it is.
A desire to connect.
To not be alone.
That irreplaceable need to be part of a tribe, a community.
We all have it, and it is not something to ignore.
For once we recognize it for what it is, perhaps we can find other ways to get that need met.
Perhaps we can meet a friend in a park and at least see them and hear their voice with our own ears.
Or maybe we can bring a group together by agreeing to all get tested.
We still want to be safe.
There is no need to be reckless.
And we can avoid that by recognizing that there is a real need to be with other people.
It can more challenging to need this need at this time.
So it is up to us to be more creative, more open to new ways of meeting it.
What can you do to meet your need of being with other people? Or are you enjoying being by yourself?
~ Sam Liebowitz, The Conscious Consultant