Moving Away from Connection

Tony was bored sitting in his apartment, so he went for a walk in the park to find more activity like walking, running, and rollerblading. Some of those people were rather loud, so he found a quiet bench near a fountain. Feeling like this was not much better than his apartment, he walked toward a part of the park with more hustle and bustle, where he saw a coworker who engaged him in a conversation. After a few minutes, he mentioned that he was on his way to a bathroom and could continue his walk and get away from his coworker. 

Interacting with other people can be like this, like the swinging of a pendulum wanting to move toward people to connect with them and wanting to move away from people to avoid conflict. In the Bible, God said at creation that it was not good for the man to be alone, so the person he created was “a helpful opponent” or a “friendly adversary.” Eve was like Adam in some ways, different from him in others. She was supportive of some actions and challenged him in others. And so it is with relationships.

There is some danger in moving toward another person because of potential conflict, but there is more danger in moving away from people toward isolation. Conflict can be frustrating, but isolation is devastating. Social media surfing and streaming services give the illusion of moving toward other people, but they do not provide a real connection with another person. 

So what should we do? There are two things that I am personally trying to do to resist isolating myself from other people. First, I am just trying to notice the times I feel drawn toward connecting with other people and the times that I want to isolate myself to avoid conflict. Just noticing can be a great first step. The second thing is that I’m trying to be more open to connections, even if they are small ones. I feel great when another person sees me and sees the good in me - I would like to do that for another person as much as possible.

Money, power, and position can feel like incredibly important things, but any of them without connection with others can be very hollow. If you would like to learn more about the power of connection in your own life, please Contact Us.