The Connected Condition – Looked in the mirror lately? July 8, 2020
American professor of Geography and Pulitzer prize winning author, Jared Diamond wrote an opinion piece in last weekend’s Globe and Mail, suggesting that Americans use July 4, 2020 as a moment for reflection about the state of their nation.
Like many, Diamond is deeply concerned about the political polarization in the United States and writes: “I speculate than an underlying cause [of the polarization] is our decline in face to face communication. For the first six million years of human and proto-human history, all communication was face to face: looking at people in the eye, hearing their voice, reading their body language and experiencing them as human beings… Today, thanks to the internet and cellphones, we experience other people mostly as words on a screen.”
Then the author wonders how Americans might be able to reverse the trends that are dangerously polarizing, and fracturing society along multiple lines of inequality.
Diamond recommends that Americans look at countries and writes, “Especially surprising is American ignorance about our neighbour Canada. We Americans take Canada for granted, because it shares with the U.S. the same system of telephone area codes, the same majority language and the world’s longest land border. We don’t realize how different Canadian society and policies are from those of the U.S. We refuse to learn from how Canada solves issues of health care and immigration that frustrate Americans.”
Perhaps. But, what if it isn’t about any one policy, or any one solution and more about Canadians working hard to be friendly faced communicators, citizens and connectors?
How might Canadians nudge our personal needles in the direction of a more connected condition?
One idea is to look in the mirror, put on your biggest, kindest smile, and say “Hello, friend”. Then, practice smiling and speaking while wearing a face mask.
Real words, spoken in a human voice in real time, with a great big smile while talking on the telephone, or from two meters while walking down the street, or while looking into the mirror, or anywhere else you happen to be – smiling and expressing kindness improves social connections. Social connection improves your personal well being, puts you into a happier mood and dulls the edge when feeling lonely – even in times of COVID.
Thanks for reading! Have you taken the Gratitude Quiz yet? Click here to try it and let me know how your grat-o-meter is dinging.
