quote:

Psychologists agree that being separate from others is generally harmful to our mental health and well-being. To be well, we must connect with others.

lol, I was just about to call it a night with the computer when I read this - for some reason getting to bed early just is not happening, as long as I can wake up for a mythology course --- I digress


This topic is part of what has driven me to create the community oriented website company that I own and hope/pray have faith will happen. The idea is about the 'Old-Time Neighborhood in the New-World Time' (yeah I know thats not grammatically right), and about getting people offline and involved in their local community be it city, school, or in connecting through the disciplines they like... the point though is community.

I have been online 14+ years..Chatting, e-mailing, messaging, etc has been a way to connect with people - yet while I have met so very many people it is not the same as going to a local store and meeting new people. When I take my summer trips (often alone) to NC and end up camping or going off with complete strangers it ellicits a better connection in one moment then elsewise (though as I have been told dangerous - I guess that is where instinct and faith come in)

Again I digress--- its late what can I say -- I still have a couple chapters left in The Prophets Way and quite a few in Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight (which makes me at times think of a book titled Deadly Feasts. Can't wait to see what occurs -- in the meantime curious about others input about connections, community, boxes (yeah box theory!!!), etc..

I think that we all feel a need to belong at times, and benefit from belonging. But we are spread along a long continuum between being very gregarious and being loners (even excluding those who turn into loners because of damage). This is probably natural for us, since historically some would need to remain at the heart of the tribe doing tasks which are much better shared than attempted alone, whilst others would need to be scouts or guards warning of danger, on the periphery. So spending much of one’s time apart isn’t necessarily harmful, so long as one feels that one belongs and could return to the community from time to time.

Many communities seem to require considerable closeness and integration of their members, and I think that is often their loss, as well as that of those who would like to join in but are overwhelmed by too much closeness.

In more modern societies, some have found a niche contributing to society through their writings. In even more modern times, online communities have been very successful, starting with those on CompuServe which predated the Internet.

I was once told of an imbalance in the human nature when one can't sit quietly at peace with self. It seems between radio, television, computer, etc., there is constant interaction.

I don't think people know what 'alone' is and how to be peace with it anymore than being with others and in disharmony with that.

I think sometimes the collective "peace" is really commisserating with fellow disharmonious.

There are times I need to get away from people to keep myself from reacting to the intensity.
There are times when I desire to be around people ... but I find it less and less for pleasure to that of specific purpose.

There are definitly times when I want to be alone and cut off from 'everyone' usually I get to do this when I go to NC in the summers and hike along the Parkway or in the Great Smokey National Park. I can do it some down here in FL but personally it is not the same for me (psychology/background/etc).

However, I think one of the dimensions of this need for connecting is related to the idea of a community of seeing that we all are tied together, of spending time with others, and so forth....

Also a thought about whether our society even promotes community or personal relationships anymore?

I did some camping in the jungle, alone. I learnt alot about the instinct to affiliate while there.