Human future will become more and more connected.

What we make of these connections is up to us: we are only beginning to glimpse the beginnings of the new Human.*

What about this statement by Richard Rohr?

‘Life is never about being correct, but only and always about being connected.  Just stay connected.’**

Have you ever been right but spoilt a relationship?

If you had the chance to do this differently, would you?  (I’m fascinated by grace:  opportunities to begin over again.)  I’ve certainly made many mistakes when it’s come to wanting to be correct and had to learn ways of coming back from the shame I’d felt.

Brené Brown suggests we can try and deal with shame^ by distancing ourselves from the other person(s), trying to appease them, or, trying to take control – all of these being connection-killers.  Brown has been there many times, and, knowing what she must do, reaches out to someone with empathy, speaks to herself as she would to someone in her position, and, as this is her story, choosing her own ending.  This caused me to reflect on the things I do.

Each day I write.  I’ve been doing this for more than sixteen years, and although I began writing for another reason, it gives me an opportunity to come face to face with what I or another has said or done: how do I react and, then, how I choose to deal with it, surrounded by the thoughts of others I happen to be reading.^^

“Emotional writing can also affect people’s sleep habits, work efficiency, and how they connect with others.”*^

I find myself wondering whether future Humans will pursue ways of connecting and building on divergent ideas, rather than one idea being right and another being wrong.

In the meantime, I’ll keep on writing.

(*And the reaction to this in violent fragmentation.)
(**Richard Rohr in Eager to Love.)
(^Brown tells of one time when she received an unpleasant email and wrote a bad-mouthed comment to forward to someone else, but hit the reply button instead!  The dangers of a more connected world.)
(^^Sometimes, I don’t even have to worry about the thing I’ve done immediately because I know I’ll have the opportunity to reflect upon it the next morning – though, it doesn’t always work like this.)
(*^James Pennebaker, author of Writing to Heal, quoted in Brené Brown’s Daring Greatly.  Another book for my wishlist, I think)
(Exercise: Try writing out your own thoughts about what has just happened and how you feel about the future – perhaps write to your future self or muse or God.  Where and when you write are almost as important as what you write as they’ll allow you to create a habit of writing.  Begin with five minutes – expand if necessary.)