#connection — Public Fediverse posts

Loneliness has a mortality risk comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Murthy's "Staying Human" project is pushing this into the national conversation, and it aligns with what I see every day. What starts as self-medication for isolation becomes the engine of more isolation. Connection is medicine. Call someone today — five minutes matters more than you think.
#Loneliness #Connection #Addiction #Recovery #MentalHealth

Loneliness has a mortality risk comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Murthy's "Staying Human" project is pushing this into the national conversation, and it aligns with what I see every day. What starts as self-medication for isolation becomes the engine of more isolation. Connection is medicine. Call someone today — five minutes matters more than you think.
#Loneliness #Connection #Addiction #Recovery #MentalHealth

✮ Patience and the World It Governs ✮

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The male loneliness epidemic is real, and it's not a punchline. What starts as self-medication for isolation becomes the engine of more isolation. The substance was never the enemy—the loneliness was. Connection is the cure. We heal in relationship, not in isolation.
#Loneliness #Connection #Recovery #MensHealth #MentalHealth

The male loneliness epidemic is real, and it's not a punchline. What starts as self-medication for isolation becomes the engine of more isolation. The substance was never the enemy—the loneliness was. Connection is the cure. We heal in relationship, not in isolation.
#Loneliness #Connection #Recovery #MensHealth #MentalHealth

DATE: August 12, 2026 at 06:00AM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG

** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------

TITLE: Scientists identify 19 core dimensions of positive mental health in new consensus study

URL: https://www.psypost.org/scientists-identify-19-core-dimensions-of-positive-mental-health-in-new-consensus-study/

A recent study published in Nature Mental Health identifies a core set of elements that make up positive mental health, offering a standardized framework to define what it means to truly be well. By consulting experts across multiple disciplines, the research outlines nineteen specific dimensions, ranging from life satisfaction to social connection. The findings provide a foundation for creating more consistent strategies to support and measure psychological well-being in communities and workplaces.

Positive mental health encompasses more than just the absence of mental illness. It includes aspects of functioning effectively, feeling good, and connecting with others. High levels of mental well-being are associated with better recovery from stressful events, lower risks of chronic disease, and widespread benefits for society.

Despite its broad relevance, the exact definition of positive mental health varies widely depending on the field of study. Psychologists, public health officials, economists, and sociologists often use different terms and models to describe similar ideas, such as flourishing, thriving, or coping.

This lack of a shared vocabulary causes fragmentation in research and policy. When different organizations use completely different standards to define well-being, comparing research data or evaluating the success of public policies becomes incredibly difficult.

“Put very simply, there is very little agreement on what we mean when we say mental wellbeing, flourishing, positive mental health, or related terms,” said Matthew Iasiello, head of data and research translation at Be Well Co and postdoctoral research fellow at Adelaide University’s School of Biomedical Science. “These terms can all be used interchangeably, and each discipline defines them slightly differently, meaning that measures often focus on different things and evidence is hard to synthesize. This leads to confusion in the academic world, which also trickles into the ‘real world’ with governments and funders guessing about what to measure and where to invest.”

To address this inconsistency, researchers set out to establish a unified list of components that constitute positive mental health. Building a shared framework helps ensure that professionals across all sectors are aiming for the same targets when designing mental health interventions.

The researchers used a technique known as the Delphi method, which involves surveying a group of experts over multiple rounds to reach a consensus on a specific topic. The study recruited 122 prominent academics from 26 countries, representing 11 different disciplines. These fields included clinical psychology, psychiatry, public health, philosophy, nursing, and economics.

The experts had an average age of about 53 years and an average of nearly twenty years of experience in their respective fields. About 84 percent of the participants identified as Caucasian or European, and a majority resided in Western nations such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. The response rate for the survey was approximately 10 percent of the invited academics, though the participating experts were highly cited in their disciplines.

In the first round of the survey, participants evaluated 26 potential dimensions of positive mental health drawn from previous scientific reviews. The experts rated each dimension on a four-point scale from irrelevant to essential. To be included in the final framework, a dimension needed to reach at least 75 percent agreement among the experts. Participants also had the opportunity to suggest additional components in open-text boxes.

In the second round, the experts reviewed the newly suggested dimensions and re-evaluated the items that had not yet reached a consensus. In the third and final round, the participants rated the approved dimensions to determine if they were primarily drivers that cause positive mental health or outcomes that result from it. They used a visual scale from zero to 100, where zero indicated a driver and 100 indicated an outcome.

The panel reached a consensus on nineteen distinct dimensions that constitute positive mental health. Six of these components achieved greater than 90 percent agreement for inclusion. These highest-rated components included meaning and purpose, life satisfaction, self-acceptance, connection with others, autonomy, and happiness.

Iasiello noted that the average person should understand “that positive mental health is broad. It’s more than feeling happy and more than simply not being unwell.” He added, “When we asked a large, cross-disciplinary panel of experts to agree, six dimensions stood out as near-universal: meaning and purpose, life satisfaction, self-acceptance, connection, autonomy and happiness. So if you want a fuller picture of how someone is doing, those are good places to look.”

Other dimensions that made the final list of nineteen included optimism, competence, engagement, calmness, vitality, and a sense of belonging. Rounding out the accepted framework were acceptance, achievement, activities and functioning, development, fun, self-congruence, and a sense of safety. The panel also agreed to exclude certain concepts altogether. For instance, avoidance coping, which involves attempting to ignore stressors, achieved only about 20 percent agreement and was excluded.

The experts debated the boundary between psychological and physical elements of well-being. Factors like physical health achieved only 62.8 percent agreement, and personal circumstances achieved only 62.5 percent agreement, meaning both failed to reach the 75 percent threshold for inclusion. This indicates a tendency among the experts to classify these physical and environmental factors as outside influences rather than core parts of mental well-being itself.

When categorizing the finalized components on the zero to 100 scale, the panel rated happiness and life satisfaction primarily as outcomes of positive mental health, with scores averaging near 74 and 72, respectively. On the other hand, elements like autonomy and a sense of safety were considered primarily as drivers that help produce well-being, scoring around 29 and 32 on the scale.

Differentiating these variables proved to be a challenging task. “Probably how difficult it was for our panel to separate ‘outcomes’ or ‘drivers’ of positive mental health,” Iasiello told PsyPost, regarding what surprised the research team. “The surprising finding was that most of the 19 included dimensions could be seen as both an outcome or a driver, depending on the research question or population. This points to the complexity of the topic!”

The feedback from the participants helped shape a new working definition of positive mental health. The updated definition emphasizes that positive mental health is a subjective experience of functioning well and feeling content. It also specifically notes that a person can experience positive mental health and take action to improve it even while managing a mental health condition.

This proposed taxonomy represents a starting point for standardizing the field, but it possesses built-in limitations. “The main misinterpretation is thinking that this work is a finished product,” Iasiello said. “This shared taxonomy aims to be a starting point towards reaching greater consistency in the field. Our panel was highly expert but heavily Western and English-speaking, so the taxonomy almost certainly carries a Western view of well-being, and concepts like the Japanese idea of ikigai may not sit neatly inside it.”

Concepts like ikigai, which broadly translates to a reason for being or a sense of purpose in everyday living, highlight how different cultures prioritize unique psychological traits. A panel consisting predominantly of academics from industrialized, English-speaking nations might overlook elements of well-being that emphasize communal harmony or spiritual connection.

The boundaries between the causes of mental health and the outcomes of mental health also remain highly complex. A factor like social connection can serve as a driver of well-being on one day and an outcome of a positive mood on the next. The dynamic interactions between these variables suggest that any standardized list will struggle to capture the fluid nature of human psychology in everyday life.

To address these gaps, the researchers have several goals for subsequent studies. “First, test the taxonomy well beyond a Western panel, and deliberately include non-Western concepts and the lived experience of groups often left out, such as people managing chronic illness,” Iasiello said. “Second, work out the structure, which dimensions act as drivers, which are outcomes, and how they nest together, rather than leaving them as a flat list.”

“Third, map positive mental health against mental illness, since the two aren’t just opposite ends of one line,” Iasiello continued. He also emphasized a desire for practical applications moving forward. “Alongside that, we want the science to reach real communities through partnerships between universities, councils, businesses, NGOs, and practitioners, so it gets tested where people actually live and work.”

The study, “A Delphi consensus study on the dimensions of positive mental health,” was authored by M. Iasiello, J. van Agteren, K. Ali, E. Kolovos, P. J. Batterham, F. Goodman, A. Jarden, T. B. Kashdan, M. Kyrios, L. G. Oades, D. Weziak-Bialowolska, and D. B. Fassnacht.

Below is the complete list of the components and their meanings as outlined in the study:

The Top Six Dimensions (Greater than 90% Agreement)

• Meaning and purpose: Having clear goals, a sense of direction, and a larger aim in life and/or the feeling that what we do is worthwhile, rewarding, and valuable.
•

• Life satisfaction: The degree to which a person positively evaluates the overall quality of their life as a whole (i.e., how much the person likes the life they lead).
•

• Self-acceptance: Experiencing different aspects of oneself (e.g., one’s body, personality, thoughts, and feelings) in a positive, tolerant, receptive, or non-judgmental way; experiencing positive self-worth.
•

• Connection: Involving a feeling of belonging, mutual caring, love, and closeness to friends, family, and loved ones.
•

• Autonomy: The perception that we have ownership over our behavior and choices, and the ability to express oneself.
•

• Happiness: States that are characterized by moderate-arousal pleasant feelings, such as feeling happy, cheerful, and pleased.
•

The Remaining 13 Dimensions

• Acceptance: The ability to self-reflect, identify what is within a person’s control, and accept what is outside one’s control.
•

• Achievement: Having done something successfully, using one’s own efforts and skills.
•

• Activities and functioning: Overall satisfaction with our activities and leisure, and our ability to undertake these tasks.
•

• Belonging: The feeling of deep connection with social groups, physical places, and individual and collective experiences.
•

• Calmness: States characterized by low-arousal pleasant feelings, like serenity and peacefulness.
•

• Competence: Feeling and perceiving oneself as effective and able to overcome challenges and stressors, and achieve desired outcomes.
•

• Development: Experiencing growth and improvement.
•

• Engagement: Having an absorbing experience in which the individual is completely focused on the task at hand or experiencing a state of mindful awareness.
•

• Fun: Experiencing light-hearted pleasure, enjoyment, or amusement; entertainment.
•

• Optimism: Having a positive outlook on life, and positive expectations about the future.
•

• Self-congruence: The perception that our actions and behaviors are compatible with our interests, values, and beliefs.
•

• Sense of safety: The feeling of relative security in one’s daily life.
•

• Vitality: States characterized by high-arousal pleasant feelings, such as feeling energetic and lively.
•

URL: https://www.psypost.org/scientists-identify-19-core-dimensions-of-positive-mental-health-in-new-consensus-study/

-------------------------------------------------

Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org

Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot

-------------------------------------------------

#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #PositiveMentalHealth #MentalWellbeing #DelphiConsensus #MeaningAndPurpose #LifeSatisfaction #SelfAcceptance #Connection #Autonomy #Happiness #WellbeingFramework

DATE: August 12, 2026 at 06:00AM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG

** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------

TITLE: Scientists identify 19 core dimensions of positive mental health in new consensus study

URL: https://www.psypost.org/scientists-identify-19-core-dimensions-of-positive-mental-health-in-new-consensus-study/

A recent study published in Nature Mental Health identifies a core set of elements that make up positive mental health, offering a standardized framework to define what it means to truly be well. By consulting experts across multiple disciplines, the research outlines nineteen specific dimensions, ranging from life satisfaction to social connection. The findings provide a foundation for creating more consistent strategies to support and measure psychological well-being in communities and workplaces.

Positive mental health encompasses more than just the absence of mental illness. It includes aspects of functioning effectively, feeling good, and connecting with others. High levels of mental well-being are associated with better recovery from stressful events, lower risks of chronic disease, and widespread benefits for society.

Despite its broad relevance, the exact definition of positive mental health varies widely depending on the field of study. Psychologists, public health officials, economists, and sociologists often use different terms and models to describe similar ideas, such as flourishing, thriving, or coping.

This lack of a shared vocabulary causes fragmentation in research and policy. When different organizations use completely different standards to define well-being, comparing research data or evaluating the success of public policies becomes incredibly difficult.

“Put very simply, there is very little agreement on what we mean when we say mental wellbeing, flourishing, positive mental health, or related terms,” said Matthew Iasiello, head of data and research translation at Be Well Co and postdoctoral research fellow at Adelaide University’s School of Biomedical Science. “These terms can all be used interchangeably, and each discipline defines them slightly differently, meaning that measures often focus on different things and evidence is hard to synthesize. This leads to confusion in the academic world, which also trickles into the ‘real world’ with governments and funders guessing about what to measure and where to invest.”

To address this inconsistency, researchers set out to establish a unified list of components that constitute positive mental health. Building a shared framework helps ensure that professionals across all sectors are aiming for the same targets when designing mental health interventions.

The researchers used a technique known as the Delphi method, which involves surveying a group of experts over multiple rounds to reach a consensus on a specific topic. The study recruited 122 prominent academics from 26 countries, representing 11 different disciplines. These fields included clinical psychology, psychiatry, public health, philosophy, nursing, and economics.

The experts had an average age of about 53 years and an average of nearly twenty years of experience in their respective fields. About 84 percent of the participants identified as Caucasian or European, and a majority resided in Western nations such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. The response rate for the survey was approximately 10 percent of the invited academics, though the participating experts were highly cited in their disciplines.

In the first round of the survey, participants evaluated 26 potential dimensions of positive mental health drawn from previous scientific reviews. The experts rated each dimension on a four-point scale from irrelevant to essential. To be included in the final framework, a dimension needed to reach at least 75 percent agreement among the experts. Participants also had the opportunity to suggest additional components in open-text boxes.

In the second round, the experts reviewed the newly suggested dimensions and re-evaluated the items that had not yet reached a consensus. In the third and final round, the participants rated the approved dimensions to determine if they were primarily drivers that cause positive mental health or outcomes that result from it. They used a visual scale from zero to 100, where zero indicated a driver and 100 indicated an outcome.

The panel reached a consensus on nineteen distinct dimensions that constitute positive mental health. Six of these components achieved greater than 90 percent agreement for inclusion. These highest-rated components included meaning and purpose, life satisfaction, self-acceptance, connection with others, autonomy, and happiness.

Iasiello noted that the average person should understand “that positive mental health is broad. It’s more than feeling happy and more than simply not being unwell.” He added, “When we asked a large, cross-disciplinary panel of experts to agree, six dimensions stood out as near-universal: meaning and purpose, life satisfaction, self-acceptance, connection, autonomy and happiness. So if you want a fuller picture of how someone is doing, those are good places to look.”

Other dimensions that made the final list of nineteen included optimism, competence, engagement, calmness, vitality, and a sense of belonging. Rounding out the accepted framework were acceptance, achievement, activities and functioning, development, fun, self-congruence, and a sense of safety. The panel also agreed to exclude certain concepts altogether. For instance, avoidance coping, which involves attempting to ignore stressors, achieved only about 20 percent agreement and was excluded.

The experts debated the boundary between psychological and physical elements of well-being. Factors like physical health achieved only 62.8 percent agreement, and personal circumstances achieved only 62.5 percent agreement, meaning both failed to reach the 75 percent threshold for inclusion. This indicates a tendency among the experts to classify these physical and environmental factors as outside influences rather than core parts of mental well-being itself.

When categorizing the finalized components on the zero to 100 scale, the panel rated happiness and life satisfaction primarily as outcomes of positive mental health, with scores averaging near 74 and 72, respectively. On the other hand, elements like autonomy and a sense of safety were considered primarily as drivers that help produce well-being, scoring around 29 and 32 on the scale.

Differentiating these variables proved to be a challenging task. “Probably how difficult it was for our panel to separate ‘outcomes’ or ‘drivers’ of positive mental health,” Iasiello told PsyPost, regarding what surprised the research team. “The surprising finding was that most of the 19 included dimensions could be seen as both an outcome or a driver, depending on the research question or population. This points to the complexity of the topic!”

The feedback from the participants helped shape a new working definition of positive mental health. The updated definition emphasizes that positive mental health is a subjective experience of functioning well and feeling content. It also specifically notes that a person can experience positive mental health and take action to improve it even while managing a mental health condition.

This proposed taxonomy represents a starting point for standardizing the field, but it possesses built-in limitations. “The main misinterpretation is thinking that this work is a finished product,” Iasiello said. “This shared taxonomy aims to be a starting point towards reaching greater consistency in the field. Our panel was highly expert but heavily Western and English-speaking, so the taxonomy almost certainly carries a Western view of well-being, and concepts like the Japanese idea of ikigai may not sit neatly inside it.”

Concepts like ikigai, which broadly translates to a reason for being or a sense of purpose in everyday living, highlight how different cultures prioritize unique psychological traits. A panel consisting predominantly of academics from industrialized, English-speaking nations might overlook elements of well-being that emphasize communal harmony or spiritual connection.

The boundaries between the causes of mental health and the outcomes of mental health also remain highly complex. A factor like social connection can serve as a driver of well-being on one day and an outcome of a positive mood on the next. The dynamic interactions between these variables suggest that any standardized list will struggle to capture the fluid nature of human psychology in everyday life.

To address these gaps, the researchers have several goals for subsequent studies. “First, test the taxonomy well beyond a Western panel, and deliberately include non-Western concepts and the lived experience of groups often left out, such as people managing chronic illness,” Iasiello said. “Second, work out the structure, which dimensions act as drivers, which are outcomes, and how they nest together, rather than leaving them as a flat list.”

“Third, map positive mental health against mental illness, since the two aren’t just opposite ends of one line,” Iasiello continued. He also emphasized a desire for practical applications moving forward. “Alongside that, we want the science to reach real communities through partnerships between universities, councils, businesses, NGOs, and practitioners, so it gets tested where people actually live and work.”

The study, “A Delphi consensus study on the dimensions of positive mental health,” was authored by M. Iasiello, J. van Agteren, K. Ali, E. Kolovos, P. J. Batterham, F. Goodman, A. Jarden, T. B. Kashdan, M. Kyrios, L. G. Oades, D. Weziak-Bialowolska, and D. B. Fassnacht.

Below is the complete list of the components and their meanings as outlined in the study:

The Top Six Dimensions (Greater than 90% Agreement)

• Meaning and purpose: Having clear goals, a sense of direction, and a larger aim in life and/or the feeling that what we do is worthwhile, rewarding, and valuable.
•

• Life satisfaction: The degree to which a person positively evaluates the overall quality of their life as a whole (i.e., how much the person likes the life they lead).
•

• Self-acceptance: Experiencing different aspects of oneself (e.g., one’s body, personality, thoughts, and feelings) in a positive, tolerant, receptive, or non-judgmental way; experiencing positive self-worth.
•

• Connection: Involving a feeling of belonging, mutual caring, love, and closeness to friends, family, and loved ones.
•

• Autonomy: The perception that we have ownership over our behavior and choices, and the ability to express oneself.
•

• Happiness: States that are characterized by moderate-arousal pleasant feelings, such as feeling happy, cheerful, and pleased.
•

The Remaining 13 Dimensions

• Acceptance: The ability to self-reflect, identify what is within a person’s control, and accept what is outside one’s control.
•

• Achievement: Having done something successfully, using one’s own efforts and skills.
•

• Activities and functioning: Overall satisfaction with our activities and leisure, and our ability to undertake these tasks.
•

• Belonging: The feeling of deep connection with social groups, physical places, and individual and collective experiences.
•

• Calmness: States characterized by low-arousal pleasant feelings, like serenity and peacefulness.
•

• Competence: Feeling and perceiving oneself as effective and able to overcome challenges and stressors, and achieve desired outcomes.
•

• Development: Experiencing growth and improvement.
•

• Engagement: Having an absorbing experience in which the individual is completely focused on the task at hand or experiencing a state of mindful awareness.
•

• Fun: Experiencing light-hearted pleasure, enjoyment, or amusement; entertainment.
•

• Optimism: Having a positive outlook on life, and positive expectations about the future.
•

• Self-congruence: The perception that our actions and behaviors are compatible with our interests, values, and beliefs.
•

• Sense of safety: The feeling of relative security in one’s daily life.
•

• Vitality: States characterized by high-arousal pleasant feelings, such as feeling energetic and lively.
•

URL: https://www.psypost.org/scientists-identify-19-core-dimensions-of-positive-mental-health-in-new-consensus-study/

-------------------------------------------------

Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org

Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot

-------------------------------------------------

#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #PositiveMentalHealth #MentalWellbeing #DelphiConsensus #MeaningAndPurpose #LifeSatisfaction #SelfAcceptance #Connection #Autonomy #Happiness #WellbeingFramework

How can we build connection and engagement with the people with whom we work? By giving up control over the choices they're offered.

https://www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/event-design/2017/01/to-build-connection-and-engagement-at-events-give-up-control

#meetings #EventDesign #GivingUpControl #choices #connection #engagement #eventprofs

How can we build connection and engagement with the people with whom we work? By giving up control over the choices they're offered.

https://www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/event-design/2017/01/to-build-connection-and-engagement-at-events-give-up-control

#meetings #EventDesign #GivingUpControl #choices #connection #engagement #eventprofs

Tues. Aug. 11, 2026: A Colorful, Creative Weekend

Tuesday, August 11, 2026

Dark Moon

Pluto, Neptune, Saturn, Chiron Retrograde

Cloudy, warm, humid

I hope you had a lovely weekend. You can read the Community Tarot Reading for the Week here.

It was hot and humid on Friday. I kept waiting for the promised storms. I got the ghostwriting assignment off my desk and onto theirs. I wrote and submitted a book review (there’s been hardly any work from that client lately). I approved the final proofs for “Gorgeous Mess” in the MIDNIGHT MOUSERS anthology, and finished the rest of the admin paperwork they needed.

I doubt I can get copies in time for the author fest in September, but I can probably have copies for the Boiler House reading in October.

It was hot and humid, and I was grateful for fans and coolers.

I cooked tuna steaks for dinner, and made basil cream to go with it (a recipe from Anna Pump’s cookbook SUMMER ON A PLATE). It was so good, and I can use the rest of the basil cream on sandwiches, in salads, and on other things. I used more basil than the recipe called for, but it was great. I used the whole bunch of regular basil from the CSA in the recipe.

I got my act after dinner, got dressed, slapped on some makeup, and trotted down to FutureLabs Gallery for the opening. Of course, it started raining as soon as I left the house, but I’d brought an umbrella for insurance. It was only sprinkling.

I ran into Andrew Fitch on the corner of Main & Eagle, where he was meeting potential voters. We had a good catch-up, and I assured him both my mom and I planned to vote for him. Because I do think he is the best person for this particular job at this particular moment.

The opening at FutureLabs was a lot of fun. I had some good conversations with people, and conversations for future shows. The co-founder is excited by two pieces we discussed, so I am shuffling what I place where, and work on when. The co-founder wants a controversial piece I want to create for the January show, so that will be my focus for that show.

Came home to discover our mail-in ballots. Yay!

I used the coolers overnight in my room on timers, and kept waking up to turn them back on when they timed out. At 3:30 on Saturday morning, I moved to the couch and turned on the ceiling fan and the fan my friend sent me, and Tessa rolled over like, “oh, thank goodness!”

I got up around 5 and started the morning routine. Friday was Day 350 of the morning free-write. This past week, ideas have come in batches like cookies, and it’s good to have one place to put them, so I don’t misplace my notes.

I did some housework, tended the plants, and took out the garbage. I emailed the curator and the gallery founder with vision for the piece I’m working on, and they wrote back a lovely response, and look forward to the finished piece. I worked on the photos for the piece. I had to pull some of them off my old Macbook. Other then not being able to connect to the internet, the old Macbook is better than the newer PCs. By old, I mean I got in in 2010.

I’ve narrowed it down to about 2 dozen photos, and will narrow it down further to about 7 or 8, once I figure out the background fabric. All of the photos I’m using are ones I’ve taken myself over the years. The one photo of a photo of my Playland Painters has no attribution, but the original has disappeared. I have a photo of the two photos of these women, and now Westchester Archives has copies of my photos of the photos, and I will attribute it as best I can in the label. I realized that, since the original prop pieces have also vanished, I probably have the only remaining photos of those, and I should get copies of them to the Archives in the coming weeks. Once I have the background, I will print out and arrange the photos, fasten them down, and embellish.

It has to be done and photographed by Aug. 15 for consideration in the show.

Am I feeling pressured and insecure? Why yes, I am.

I put together a pasta sauce and set it in the slow cooker to do its thing while I was out in the afternoon. That’s what I love about slow cookers. You set things up, and they safely do their thing while you are busy, and there’s good food when you return.

I showered, changed, slapped on some makeup. Of course, as soon as I headed out the door, we were under thunderstorm watch again.

I went to Theatre 62 at Williams College. We were in a different part of the dance studio this time, with a different project. This was also part of the Fertile Ground New Works Residency, but this was a workshop of Jessica Bauman’s Anyone There? Featured six performers, including one of my colleagues, Louise Heller, from WAM’s literary committee. You can learn more about it here.

The space was set up in a circle, and the actors welcomed and chatted with us as we entered and got settled. There was a really joyful energy about the space and the piece. The piece itself ran for a little over an hour, and was a mix of scripted (from interviews the creator held on the topic) and interaction with the audience. As an extreme introvert, I usually shy away from that kind of interaction, but it was set up so skillfully, it was inCLUsive rather than InTRUsive. As a member of WAM, I would have gritted my teeth and played along no matter what, but there was no need to grit my teeth, I actually enjoyed myself. The themes were about isolation and connection, and depicted beautifully. There was movement and music along with the script, along with a section embodying specific Edward Hopper paintings. I told Jess after how my eyes kept getting wider and wider, because I’ve done ekphrastic work with every single piece she chose, especially “New York Movie.” She said every time she uses Hopper’s work, that one is relevant.

We had a talkback after, which was terrific, and then a chance to chat over coffee and muffins. One of the actors from NY and I exchanged information to keep in touch (and hope to work together someday), and one of the local actors may well be my Timothy in THE WOMEN ON THE BRIDGE if/when I get the grant for the reading, and if he’s available.

It was a truly wonderful experience. Both Fertile Ground pieces have supported dynamic artists, and I can’t wait to see where their work goes next.

It was raining fairly hard when I left, but the drive home was easy. My parking space was open, so that’s all I really cared about.

The Chewy cat litter order had arrived while I was gone, so I hauled that up the stairs and started the pasta. The sauce was perfection. It was a hot, sticky night, but cooled down a bit.

Up early on Sunday, usual routine, worked out a couple of scenes on the play in the morning free write. I did the Community Tarot Reading for the week, which you can read here.

We headed up to Bennington, VT in the late morning. It was a lovely drive, even in the heat. We hadn’t been up there in far too long. My mom needs an oversized shoe/croc for after her surgery, so we decided to look in thrift stores first. We found a pair that should work (don’t worry, I disinfected them when we got them home).

We were early getting back to Williamstown, too early for our next stop, so we stopped at the Clark for a little while and enjoyed the peaceful, lovely grounds. Perk of being a member – one can stop in there while out and about doing other things.

We then headed to Karen’s Quilting Corner (once it opened). I needed the background fabric for the collage. I’d hoped to find something with a Ferris wheel or carousel horse pattern, which I knew was a long shot. I’d sourced some of that print online from another store, but there was no way I could get it shipped in time to build the piece by the Aug. 15 deadline. So I went to Karen’s to see what I could find.

I found oh so many things I will use for various projects. But I didn’t need all of it right this second. I found an art deco small fan print in the colors that the buildings in the park are painted and trimmed, which will work. It will pick up some of the colors in the photographs.

They are so delightful at Karen’s that I should always just go there first.

We had what we needed, so we didn’t go to Old Stone Mill (I plan to go there in autumn and see what’s what)

Next stop was Ocean State, looking for kiddie pools. I hoped to find a 36”, but they only had the 42” and they only had three left, at an excellent price, so I grabbed one. I figured I could always return it if I found the smaller one, but looking at it, I think I might actually need this size. And it’s the exact shade of blue I wanted (for thematic meaning).

This is for the piece in January’s show, the controversial piece. I wouldn’t be able to find the kiddie pool in late fall/early winter, so I grabbed it now. I’ll paint/distress it in late October/early November out back when it’s cool enough to dry quickly, but not cold enough to crack.

However, that means storing it. So what did I do? Right now, it’s living on the bed in the sewing room, with a fleece blanket in it, because you KNOW the cats will want to explore. They’ve sniffed the perimeter, but haven’t hopped in yet. My bet is on Willa being the first to try it.

On a whim, we stopped at another thrift store, where I grabbed a small globe. I’ve always wanted a globe. This was inexpensive, and makes my map-loving heart happy.

The clerk at the store showed me on the globe where he grew up in Russia, and all the places he’s visited in the world over the years, including 49 states (he’s never been to Hawaii). He used to be a hockey player – started as D, then moved up to L wing, and travelled a lot. So we got to talking about hockey, since I used to cover it. So that was an interesting side aspect to the day.

It reminded me of the connection themes in Saturday’s workshop.

Home, hauled everything up the stairs. My neighbors are very curious as to the wide variety of objects that go in and out of this house. Nothing wrong with being an enigma, right?  😉

It was hot and sticky in the apartment, so we got the fans and the coolers going again and had some white cranberry-peach juice. Cleaned and/or disinfected things as appropriate and put them away.

Heated up leftovers for dinner and had a quiet evening, pondering various projects.

It cooled down enough to be decent sleeping weather. I was up at the usual time on Monday. Morning routine was fine. I did some planning on a project I’d talked about with a cohort friend a few weeks back. I need to do a little more research before I can put together a viable proposal, and I have to figure out when I can fit it into the schedule, because it would be a long-term project. I also got an email from another friend about our collaboration (on a different project).

I like having different facets in my working life. They feed each other, when I balance them properly, rather than draining each other.

I had a lot of admin to take care of when I hit the desk on Monday morning. It always stacks up over the weekend. I worked on some scenes for the play, but I have to rearrange a few things, so I didn’t get as far as I hoped. I dashed up to the library when it opened because I had to send a fax. I picked up some books while I was there. I finally got the new vacuum put together and used it. It’s fantastic! And I realized that part of the problem with the last one may have been there were bits missing (and no instruction manual). The replacement has all the bits, and, so far, it works really well. Maybe it will last for more than six months?

After lunch, I switched over to the ghostwriting, and had a solid session on it. I went a little farther than the minimum I wanted to hit today.

I was very tired, but I did a few end-of-day relaxing yoga poses before I started dinner, and that helped. I read a bit at night.

For the next 30 days, I’m trying to do 10 minutes/night of Legs-Up-the-Wall pose. On the back of my bedroom door, because we don’t have free wall space here, just lots of bookcases. I read an article describing the positive aspects of doing it nightly before bed. According to that study, after Day 7, one stops waking up at 3 AM, which is something that appeals to me. So I began last night (Charlotte supervised), and we will see what happens.

I woke up at 2:30, rather than 3, which was not in the plan!

Morning routine was fine. The air is very heavy and humid today. I’m out the door shortly to attend a performance at a farm (I’ll fill you in tomorrow). When I return, it’s the play, the collage, the ghostwriting for the rest of the day. I hope to make it to yoga tonight, but we will see how the day goes. I have a feeling the LOIs won’t go out until tomorrow.

Hope you had a great weekend, and are having a good start to your week!

Tues. Aug. 11, 2026: A Colorful, Creative Weekend

Tuesday, August 11, 2026

Dark Moon

Pluto, Neptune, Saturn, Chiron Retrograde

Cloudy, warm, humid

I hope you had a lovely weekend. You can read the Community Tarot Reading for the Week here.

It was hot and humid on Friday. I kept waiting for the promised storms. I got the ghostwriting assignment off my desk and onto theirs. I wrote and submitted a book review (there’s been hardly any work from that client lately). I approved the final proofs for “Gorgeous Mess” in the MIDNIGHT MOUSERS anthology, and finished the rest of the admin paperwork they needed.

I doubt I can get copies in time for the author fest in September, but I can probably have copies for the Boiler House reading in October.

It was hot and humid, and I was grateful for fans and coolers.

I cooked tuna steaks for dinner, and made basil cream to go with it (a recipe from Anna Pump’s cookbook SUMMER ON A PLATE). It was so good, and I can use the rest of the basil cream on sandwiches, in salads, and on other things. I used more basil than the recipe called for, but it was great. I used the whole bunch of regular basil from the CSA in the recipe.

I got my act after dinner, got dressed, slapped on some makeup, and trotted down to FutureLabs Gallery for the opening. Of course, it started raining as soon as I left the house, but I’d brought an umbrella for insurance. It was only sprinkling.

I ran into Andrew Fitch on the corner of Main & Eagle, where he was meeting potential voters. We had a good catch-up, and I assured him both my mom and I planned to vote for him. Because I do think he is the best person for this particular job at this particular moment.

The opening at FutureLabs was a lot of fun. I had some good conversations with people, and conversations for future shows. The co-founder is excited by two pieces we discussed, so I am shuffling what I place where, and work on when. The co-founder wants a controversial piece I want to create for the January show, so that will be my focus for that show.

Came home to discover our mail-in ballots. Yay!

I used the coolers overnight in my room on timers, and kept waking up to turn them back on when they timed out. At 3:30 on Saturday morning, I moved to the couch and turned on the ceiling fan and the fan my friend sent me, and Tessa rolled over like, “oh, thank goodness!”

I got up around 5 and started the morning routine. Friday was Day 350 of the morning free-write. This past week, ideas have come in batches like cookies, and it’s good to have one place to put them, so I don’t misplace my notes.

I did some housework, tended the plants, and took out the garbage. I emailed the curator and the gallery founder with vision for the piece I’m working on, and they wrote back a lovely response, and look forward to the finished piece. I worked on the photos for the piece. I had to pull some of them off my old Macbook. Other then not being able to connect to the internet, the old Macbook is better than the newer PCs. By old, I mean I got in in 2010.

I’ve narrowed it down to about 2 dozen photos, and will narrow it down further to about 7 or 8, once I figure out the background fabric. All but one of the photos I’m using are ones I’ve taken myself over the years. The other is a photo I took of a photo without attribution to the photographer that is of the painters, but the original has disappeared. I have a photo of the two photos of these women, and now Westchester Archives has copies of my photos of the photos, and I will attribute it as best I can in the label. I realized that, since the original prop pieces have also vanished, I probably have the only remaining photos of those, and I should get copies of them to the Archives in the coming weeks. Once I have the background, I will print out and arrange the photos, fasten them down, and embellish.

It has to be done and photographed by Aug. 15 for consideration in the show.

Am I feeling pressured and insecure? Why yes, I am.

I put together a pasta sauce and set it in the slow cooker to do its thing while I was out in the afternoon. That’s what I love about slow cookers. You set things up, and they safely do their thing while you are busy, and there’s good food when you return.

I showered, changed, slapped on some makeup. Of course, as soon as I headed out the door, we were under thunderstorm watch again.

I went to Theatre 62 at Williams College. We were in a different part of the dance studio this time, with a different project. This was also part of the Fertile Ground New Works Residency, but this was a workshop of Jessica Bauman’s Anyone There? Featured six performers, including one of my colleagues, Louise Heller, from WAM’s literary committee. You can learn more about it here.

The space was set up in a circle, and the actors welcomed and chatted with us as we entered and got settled. There was a really joyful energy about the space and the piece. The piece itself ran for a little over an hour, and was a mix of scripted (from interviews the creator held on the topic) and interaction with the audience. As an extreme introvert, I usually shy away from that kind of interaction, but it was set up so skillfully, it was inCLUsive rather than InTRUsive. As a member of WAM, I would have gritted my teeth and played along no matter what, but there was no need to grit my teeth, I actually enjoyed myself. The themes were about isolation and connection, and depicted beautifully. There was movement and music along with the script, along with a section embodying specific Edward Hopper paintings. I told Jess after how my eyes kept getting wider and wider, because I’ve done ekphrastic work with every single piece she chose, especially “New York Movie.” She said every time she uses Hopper’s work, that one is relevant.

We had a talkback after, which was terrific, and then a chance to chat over coffee and muffins. One of the actors from NY and I exchanged information to keep in touch (and hope to work together someday), and one of the local actors may well be my Timothy in THE WOMEN ON THE BRIDGE if/when I get the grant for the reading, and if he’s available.

It was a truly wonderful experience. Both Fertile Ground pieces have supported dynamic artists, and I can’t wait to see where their work goes next.

It was raining fairly hard when I left, but the drive home was easy. My parking space was open, so that’s all I really cared about.

The Chewy cat litter order had arrived while I was gone, so I hauled that up the stairs and started the pasta. The sauce was perfection. It was a hot, sticky night, but cooled down a bit.

Up early on Sunday, usual routine, worked out a couple of scenes on the play in the morning free write. I did the Community Tarot Reading for the week, which you can read here.

We headed up to Bennington, VT in the late morning. It was a lovely drive, even in the heat. We hadn’t been up there in far too long. My mom needs an oversized shoe/croc for after her surgery, so we decided to look in thrift stores first. We found a pair that should work (don’t worry, I disinfected them when we got them home).

We were early getting back to Williamstown, too early for our next stop, so we stopped at the Clark for a little while and enjoyed the peaceful, lovely grounds. Perk of being a member – one can stop in there while out and about doing other things.

We then headed to Karen’s Quilting Corner (once it opened). I needed the background fabric for the collage. I’d hoped to find something with a Ferris wheel or carousel horse pattern, which I knew was a long shot. I’d sourced some of that print online from another store, but there was no way I could get it shipped in time to build the piece by the Aug. 15 deadline. So I went to Karen’s to see what I could find.

I found oh so many things I will use for various projects. But I didn’t need all of it right this second. I found an art deco small fan print in the colors that the buildings in the park are painted and trimmed, which will work. It will pick up some of the colors in the photographs.

They are so delightful at Karen’s that I should always just go there first.

We had what we needed, so we didn’t go to Old Stone Mill (I plan to go there in autumn and see what’s what)

Next stop was Ocean State, looking for kiddie pools. I hoped to find a 36”, but they only had the 42” and they only had three left, at an excellent price, so I grabbed one. I figured I could always return it if I found the smaller one, but looking at it, I think I might actually need this size. And it’s the exact shade of blue I wanted (for thematic meaning).

This is for the piece in January’s show, the controversial piece. I wouldn’t be able to find the kiddie pool in late fall/early winter, so I grabbed it now. I’ll paint/distress it in late October/early November out back when it’s cool enough to dry quickly, but not cold enough to crack.

However, that means storing it. So what did I do? Right now, it’s living on the bed in the sewing room, with a fleece blanket in it, because you KNOW the cats will want to explore. They’ve sniffed the perimeter, but haven’t hopped in yet. My bet is on Willa being the first to try it.

On a whim, we stopped at another thrift store, where I grabbed a small globe. I’ve always wanted a globe. This was inexpensive, and makes my map-loving heart happy.

The clerk at the store showed me on the globe where he grew up in Russia, and all the places he’s visited in the world over the years, including 49 states (he’s never been to Hawaii). He used to be a hockey player – started as D, then moved up to L wing, and travelled a lot. So we got to talking about hockey, since I used to cover it. So that was an interesting side aspect to the day.

It reminded me of the connection themes in Saturday’s workshop.

Home, hauled everything up the stairs. My neighbors are very curious as to the wide variety of objects that go in and out of this house. Nothing wrong with being an enigma, right?  😉

It was hot and sticky in the apartment, so we got the fans and the coolers going again and had some white cranberry-peach juice. Cleaned and/or disinfected things as appropriate and put them away.

Heated up leftovers for dinner and had a quiet evening, pondering various projects.

It cooled down enough to be decent sleeping weather. I was up at the usual time on Monday. Morning routine was fine. I did some planning on a project I’d talked about with a cohort friend a few weeks back. I need to do a little more research before I can put together a viable proposal, and I have to figure out when I can fit it into the schedule, because it would be a long-term project. I also got an email from another friend about our collaboration (on a different project).

I like having different facets in my working life. They feed each other, when I balance them properly, rather than draining each other.

I had a lot of admin to take care of when I hit the desk on Monday morning. It always stacks up over the weekend. I worked on some scenes for the play, but I have to rearrange a few things, so I didn’t get as far as I hoped. I dashed up to the library when it opened because I had to send a fax. I picked up some books while I was there. I finally got the new vacuum put together and used it. It’s fantastic! And I realized that part of the problem with the last one may have been there were bits missing (and no instruction manual). The replacement has all the bits, and, so far, it works really well. Maybe it will last for more than six months?

After lunch, I switched over to the ghostwriting, and had a solid session on it. I went a little farther than the minimum I wanted to hit today.

I was very tired, but I did a few end-of-day relaxing yoga poses before I started dinner, and that helped. I read a bit at night.

For the next 30 days, I’m trying to do 10 minutes/night of Legs-Up-the-Wall pose. On the back of my bedroom door, because we don’t have free wall space here, just lots of bookcases. I read an article describing the positive aspects of doing it nightly before bed. According to that study, after Day 7, one stops waking up at 3 AM, which is something that appeals to me. So I began last night (Charlotte supervised), and we will see what happens.

I woke up at 2:30, rather than 3, which was not in the plan!

Morning routine was fine. The air is very heavy and humid today. I’m out the door shortly to attend a performance at a farm (I’ll fill you in tomorrow). When I return, it’s the play, the collage, the ghostwriting for the rest of the day. I hope to make it to yoga tonight, but we will see how the day goes. I have a feeling the LOIs won’t go out until tomorrow.

Hope you had a great weekend, and are having a good start to your week!

Three sports groups using movement to tackle isolation

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.positive.news/lifestyle/sport/three-sports-groups-using-movement-to-tackle-isolation/

Three sports groups using movement to tackle isolation

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.positive.news/lifestyle/sport/three-sports-groups-using-movement-to-tackle-isolation/

Curious Methods: Drawing as Divination 

Divination tools have always fascinated me. I experimented with many of them, knowingly and unknowingly, until I realized that one of my most natural tools was a pencil. Drawing, scribbling and entering a flow state are all divination tools. They have been used in this way across cultures, artistic movements and spiritual traditions for centuries. 

As humans, we’ve long used mark-making to […]

Curious Methods: Drawing as Divination 

Divination tools have always fascinated me. I experimented with many of them, knowingly and unknowingly, until I realized that one of my most natural tools was a pencil. Drawing, scribbling and entering a flow state are all divination tools. They have been used in this way across cultures, artistic movements and spiritual traditions for centuries. 

As humans, we’ve long used mark-making to […]

"Be private, accept the loneliness, and fix your life" is going viral — but loneliness isn't a character flaw. It's a health crisis. Murthy compares it to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. The cure was never isolation. It was each other. Reach out today. #Loneliness #Connection #MentalHealth #Recovery

"Be private, accept the loneliness, and fix your life" is going viral — but loneliness isn't a character flaw. It's a health crisis. Murthy compares it to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. The cure was never isolation. It was each other. Reach out today. #Loneliness #Connection #MentalHealth #Recovery

Supporting connection between participants at our events allows them to take full advantage of the collective wisdom in the room.

https://www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/event-design/2015/04/supporting-connection

#meetings #EventDesign #connection #ActiveLearning #SocialLearning #eventprofs

Supporting connection between participants at our events allows them to take full advantage of the collective wisdom in the room.

https://www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/event-design/2015/04/supporting-connection

#meetings #EventDesign #connection #ActiveLearning #SocialLearning #eventprofs

The Surgeon General says chronic loneliness is as deadly as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. In my work, I've seen this firsthand — the substance was never the enemy. The loneliness was. Connection is the cure. Reach out to one person today. Five minutes. That's where it starts.
#Loneliness #Connection #Recovery #MentalHealth #InnerPeace

The Surgeon General says chronic loneliness is as deadly as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. In my work, I've seen this firsthand — the substance was never the enemy. The loneliness was. Connection is the cure. Reach out to one person today. Five minutes. That's where it starts.
#Loneliness #Connection #Recovery #MentalHealth #InnerPeace

New IFS survey of 2,000 young men: 4 in 10 have 2 or fewer close friends. 9% have zero. 55% feel lonely at least some of the time. Loneliness isn't a personality flaw — it's a public health crisis. Connection is medicine, and you don't cure it with an app. You cure it by showing up for each other, consistently, in person.
#Loneliness #MensHealth #Connection #MentalHealth #Recovery

New IFS survey of 2,000 young men: 4 in 10 have 2 or fewer close friends. 9% have zero. 55% feel lonely at least some of the time. Loneliness isn't a personality flaw — it's a public health crisis. Connection is medicine, and you don't cure it with an app. You cure it by showing up for each other, consistently, in person.
#Loneliness #MensHealth #Connection #MentalHealth #Recovery

MARK ZUCKERBERG
AND HIS FILTHY BUSINESS.

Zuckerberg, I don’t like what you and your company, Meta, have done to our internet.

You took something built for human connection and turned enormous parts of it into machinery for attention, manipulation, and profit.

To me, that is profoundly anti-human.

Your business earns money from people when they are lonely, frightened, angry, insecure, addicted to attention, or already hurting.

Worse, the machinery can deepen the very damage it profits from, then invite people back tomorrow for another round. That isn’t connecting humanity.

IT IS EXTRACTING VALUE FROM HUMAN VULNERABILITY.

You are entitled to become extraordinarily wealthy.

I am entitled to say I despise the way you are doing it.

https://youtu.be/X-qzrT7m9Ag?si=eleVTjQwNLn2DYVX

@economics_that_works

#Meta #MarkZuckerberg #SocialMedia #BigTech #HumanVulnerability #AttentionEconomy #OnlineHarm #TechEthics #Internet #Accountability #facebook #instagram #connection #human

MARK ZUCKERBERG
AND HIS FILTHY BUSINESS.

Zuckerberg, I don’t like what you and your company, Meta, have done to our internet.

You took something built for human connection and turned enormous parts of it into machinery for attention, manipulation, and profit.

To me, that is profoundly anti-human.

Your business earns money from people when they are lonely, frightened, angry, insecure, addicted to attention, or already hurting.

Worse, the machinery can deepen the very damage it profits from, then invite people back tomorrow for another round. That isn’t connecting humanity.

IT IS EXTRACTING VALUE FROM HUMAN VULNERABILITY.

You are entitled to become extraordinarily wealthy.

I am entitled to say I despise the way you are doing it.

https://youtu.be/X-qzrT7m9Ag?si=eleVTjQwNLn2DYVX

@economics_that_works

#Meta #MarkZuckerberg #SocialMedia #BigTech #HumanVulnerability #AttentionEconomy #OnlineHarm #TechEthics #Internet #Accountability #facebook #instagram #connection #human

#song #music #connection

https://protyusagendherpoet.wordpress.com/2026/08/07/ancestor-song/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=jetpack_social

#song #music #connection

https://protyusagendherpoet.wordpress.com/2026/08/07/ancestor-song/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=jetpack_social

Jimmy Tip: Three Conversations That Grow Your Business Every Week

https://mybuddyjimmy.wordpress.com/2026/08/06/jimmy-tip-three-conversations-that-grow-your-business-every-week/

Jimmy Tip: Three Conversations That Grow Your Business Every Week

https://mybuddyjimmy.wordpress.com/2026/08/06/jimmy-tip-three-conversations-that-grow-your-business-every-week/

Six reasons that make a strong business case for participant-driven and participation-rich meetings to replace traditional conference formats

https://www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/event-design/2017/10/six-reasons

#meetings #EventDesign #conferences #connection #SocialLearning #eventprofs

Six reasons that make a strong business case for participant-driven and participation-rich meetings to replace traditional conference formats

https://www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/event-design/2017/10/six-reasons

#meetings #EventDesign #conferences #connection #SocialLearning #eventprofs

Three lions have the most beautiful reaction to a man singing a Guns N’ Roses song to them

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.upworthy.com/lions-listen-to-guns-n-roses-ex1/

Three lions have the most beautiful reaction to a man singing a Guns N’ Roses song to them

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.upworthy.com/lions-listen-to-guns-n-roses-ex1/

A Cure for What Ails Us?

I have been reflecting lately on the peculiar sickness of modern life, and I have a theory which, stated somewhat like a math problem, is this: modern society (entailing economic, social, and labor practices) plus postmodern media (including communication technology, news consumption, and competing truth claims) leads to a kind of sickness. And the treatment for that sickness may be following Jesus through the historic practices of the Church.

My basic argument is this: for thousands of years, human beings lived in certain ways. Whether by divine design, adaptation, or some combination of the two, human bodies, minds, and spirits were set up for success while living a certain kind of life. People lived off to the land. They lived near extended family. Most people spent their lives in relatively small communities, surrounded by people they knew and who knew them. Work was physical and tangible. Information traveled slowly. The problems people encountered were usually nearby, visible, and connected to people who could actually help or be helped. This was by no means a perfect system, for pre-modern life contained many ills (physical and social). But this is the kind of the life that human bodies were prepared to live.

In the past 200-ish years, however, the technology of the Industrial Revolution and the development of (post) modern culture have placed enormous stress on that kind of life. Obviously, modernity brought with it a great many positive changes. It is easier to obtain food, clothing, medicine, and shelter now than at almost any other point in human history. Infant mortality has declined. Travel is easier. Communication is faster. Many forms of work are safer and less physically destructive. These are real goods, real ways in which human beings have flourished in ways never before seen, and such goods should not be dismissed.

But along with those good changes came new stressors. People became more mobile. Families became more scattered. Communities became less stable. Work became increasingly detached from the production of visible and tangible things. People became more reliant on systems and technologies that few of us understand and none of us can control. Almost no one practices subsistence living anymore, which means that nearly everything we need comes to us through a complicated network of strangers, corporations, machines, and institutions.

And for the past couple hundred years (less time in many places), as people adapted to modernism, human beings did their best to adjust. Many things worked reasonably well. We developed institutions, customs, and social practices that helped people endure the disruptions of modern life. But despite our best efforts, cracks began to form in the human experience. And as more and more research and lived experience attest, what seems to have shattered our humanity was the addition of postmodern media.

It was already difficult for human beings to carry the stresses of modernity. Then we placed in nearly every pocket a device that provides constant access to nearly every crisis, argument, tragedy, advertisement, opinion, and temptation in the world.

We are constantly connected, yet often deeply lonely. We possess unprecedented access to information but are less certain about what is true. We know what is happening across the globe almost instantly, while frequently knowing very little about the lives of the people who live next door. Our minds were not made to carry every tragedy. Our hearts were not made to process the suffering of the entire world before breakfast. Our identities were not made to be continually displayed, evaluated, marketed, and compared. Yet this is increasingly what we ask of ourselves every day.

So what is the cure?

Some might argue for a rejection of modernism. We might call this an Amish response: separate from the technologies and systems that deform human life. Others might argue for some form of the Benedict Option, in which Christians build durable communities and institutions while waiting for the present cultural disorder to pass. And I must admit that there are plenty of times when both of these seem like very appropriate responses to the ills of the current age.

My proposal, however, is a little different, and it goes something like this: the historic practices of the Church of Jesus Christ—specifically communion, baptism, and the penitential cycle—provide the way forward. (Not accidentally, these are essentially the three things Martin Luther—who is often credited, or blamed, for contributing to the rise of modernism—suggested were necessary for the life of the Church.)

Communion requires deep introspection and life in community. You cannot receive communion entirely alone. You need life with other people. You need to gather around a table. You need to confess your sins, reconcile with your neighbors, receive the gifts of God, and remember that you belong to a body larger than yourself.

Communion teaches us that we are not merely individuals consuming religious content. We are members of one another. We share one bread. We receive one Lord. We are brought into communion not only with God, but with the people standing beside us.

Baptism is historically a sign of entering into God’s family. It marks a person as belonging to Christ and to his people. But baptism has also historically been connected to deep formation in Scripture and theology. The early Church did not treat baptism as a passing religious moment. It was surrounded by teaching, preparation, examination, and a reordering of life. We desperately need that kind of depth today.

We must move beyond surface-level interactions shaped by postmodern media. We must dig deep and drink from wells that take longer than fifteen seconds to hear, understand, and digest. We need Scripture slowly read, theology carefully learned, prayers repeatedly prayed, and truths practiced long enough to reshape our instincts.

Then there is the penitential cycle: confession, repentance, forgiveness, and restoration.

The practice of confession is not simply something a priest holds over your head. Properly understood, it is a practice of introspection, conversation, truth-telling, and repentance. We deeply need these things today.

We need places where we can speak honestly about the ways we have failed. We need people who will tell us the truth without discarding us. We need the opportunity to repent, receive forgiveness, make amends, and begin again. Therapy, at its best, often offers a sanitized version of some of these practices: careful listening, honest self-examination, naming destructive patterns, and seeking a healthier way forward. These can be genuine gifts. But the Church’s penitential tradition goes further. It does not merely help us understand ourselves. It places us before God, names sin as sin, announces forgiveness, and calls us into new life.

*****

That is my diagnosis of this strange math problem. Modern society plus postmodern media has produced a sickness that cannot be solved merely by better technology, more information, increased efficiency, or improved self-care. The solution is actually practices which are much older. We lean back into the historic practices of the Church of Jesus Christ. We gather around the table. We remember our baptism. We confess our sins. We receive forgiveness. We read slowly, pray deeply, and share life with actual people in actual places. Will it be enough?

I hold this theory lightly. The problems of modern life are complicated, and the practices of the Church are not easy techniques or quick fixes. They are gifts, and they require patience, faithfulness, and time. Still, I wonder whether the ancient practices of the Church might be precisely the medicine our modern souls have forgotten how to receive. Shall we return?

A Cure for What Ails Us?

I have been reflecting lately on the peculiar sickness of modern life, and I have a theory which, stated somewhat like a math problem, is this: modern society (entailing economic, social, and labor practices) plus postmodern media (including communication technology, news consumption, and competing truth claims) leads to a kind of sickness. And the treatment for that sickness may be following Jesus through the historic practices of the Church.

My basic argument is this: for thousands of years, human beings lived in certain ways. Whether by divine design, adaptation, or some combination of the two, human bodies, minds, and spirits were set up for success while living a certain kind of life. People lived off to the land. They lived near extended family. Most people spent their lives in relatively small communities, surrounded by people they knew and who knew them. Work was physical and tangible. Information traveled slowly. The problems people encountered were usually nearby, visible, and connected to people who could actually help or be helped. This was by no means a perfect system, for pre-modern life contained many ills (physical and social). But this is the kind of the life that human bodies were prepared to live.

In the past 200-ish years, however, the technology of the Industrial Revolution and the development of (post) modern culture have placed enormous stress on that kind of life. Obviously, modernity brought with it a great many positive changes. It is easier to obtain food, clothing, medicine, and shelter now than at almost any other point in human history. Infant mortality has declined. Travel is easier. Communication is faster. Many forms of work are safer and less physically destructive. These are real goods, real ways in which human beings have flourished in ways never before seen, and such goods should not be dismissed.

But along with those good changes came new stressors. People became more mobile. Families became more scattered. Communities became less stable. Work became increasingly detached from the production of visible and tangible things. People became more reliant on systems and technologies that few of us understand and none of us can control. Almost no one practices subsistence living anymore, which means that nearly everything we need comes to us through a complicated network of strangers, corporations, machines, and institutions.

And for the past couple hundred years (less time in many places), as people adapted to modernism, human beings did their best to adjust. Many things worked reasonably well. We developed institutions, customs, and social practices that helped people endure the disruptions of modern life. But despite our best efforts, cracks began to form in the human experience. And as more and more research and lived experience attest, what seems to have shattered our humanity was the addition of postmodern media.

It was already difficult for human beings to carry the stresses of modernity. Then we placed in nearly every pocket a device that provides constant access to nearly every crisis, argument, tragedy, advertisement, opinion, and temptation in the world.

We are constantly connected, yet often deeply lonely. We possess unprecedented access to information but are less certain about what is true. We know what is happening across the globe almost instantly, while frequently knowing very little about the lives of the people who live next door. Our minds were not made to carry every tragedy. Our hearts were not made to process the suffering of the entire world before breakfast. Our identities were not made to be continually displayed, evaluated, marketed, and compared. Yet this is increasingly what we ask of ourselves every day.

So what is the cure?

Some might argue for a rejection of modernism. We might call this an Amish response: separate from the technologies and systems that deform human life. Others might argue for some form of the Benedict Option, in which Christians build durable communities and institutions while waiting for the present cultural disorder to pass. And I must admit that there are plenty of times when both of these seem like very appropriate responses to the ills of the current age.

My proposal, however, is a little different, and it goes something like this: the historic practices of the Church of Jesus Christ—specifically communion, baptism, and the penitential cycle—provide the way forward. (Not accidentally, these are essentially the three things Martin Luther—who is often credited, or blamed, for contributing to the rise of modernism—suggested were necessary for the life of the Church.)

Communion requires deep introspection and life in community. You cannot receive communion entirely alone. You need life with other people. You need to gather around a table. You need to confess your sins, reconcile with your neighbors, receive the gifts of God, and remember that you belong to a body larger than yourself.

Communion teaches us that we are not merely individuals consuming religious content. We are members of one another. We share one bread. We receive one Lord. We are brought into communion not only with God, but with the people standing beside us.

Baptism is historically a sign of entering into God’s family. It marks a person as belonging to Christ and to his people. But baptism has also historically been connected to deep formation in Scripture and theology. The early Church did not treat baptism as a passing religious moment. It was surrounded by teaching, preparation, examination, and a reordering of life. We desperately need that kind of depth today.

We must move beyond surface-level interactions shaped by postmodern media. We must dig deep and drink from wells that take longer than fifteen seconds to hear, understand, and digest. We need Scripture slowly read, theology carefully learned, prayers repeatedly prayed, and truths practiced long enough to reshape our instincts.

Then there is the penitential cycle: confession, repentance, forgiveness, and restoration.

The practice of confession is not simply something a priest holds over your head. Properly understood, it is a practice of introspection, conversation, truth-telling, and repentance. We deeply need these things today.

We need places where we can speak honestly about the ways we have failed. We need people who will tell us the truth without discarding us. We need the opportunity to repent, receive forgiveness, make amends, and begin again. Therapy, at its best, often offers a sanitized version of some of these practices: careful listening, honest self-examination, naming destructive patterns, and seeking a healthier way forward. These can be genuine gifts. But the Church’s penitential tradition goes further. It does not merely help us understand ourselves. It places us before God, names sin as sin, announces forgiveness, and calls us into new life.

*****

That is my diagnosis of this strange math problem. Modern society plus postmodern media has produced a sickness that cannot be solved merely by better technology, more information, increased efficiency, or improved self-care. The solution is actually practices which are much older. We lean back into the historic practices of the Church of Jesus Christ. We gather around the table. We remember our baptism. We confess our sins. We receive forgiveness. We read slowly, pray deeply, and share life with actual people in actual places. Will it be enough?

I hold this theory lightly. The problems of modern life are complicated, and the practices of the Church are not easy techniques or quick fixes. They are gifts, and they require patience, faithfulness, and time. Still, I wonder whether the ancient practices of the Church might be precisely the medicine our modern souls have forgotten how to receive. Shall we return?

What is the relationship between connection and attachment when people come together at meetings? A painting by John Singer Sargent offers a clue.

https://www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/connection-2/2022/10/connection-attachment

#meetings #connection #attachment #learning #relationships #meditation

What is the relationship between connection and attachment when people come together at meetings? A painting by John Singer Sargent offers a clue.

https://www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/connection-2/2022/10/connection-attachment

#meetings #connection #attachment #learning #relationships #meditation

Happy Friendship Day 2026!

To every friend, follower, subscriber, reader, and visitor who stops by this space – thank you for being a part of this journey.

Your support, comments, and presence mean the world. Wishing you all a day filled with warmth, laughter, and great connections! 🥂✨

~~Thank You~

Happy Friendship Day 2026!

To every friend, follower, subscriber, reader, and visitor who stops by this space – thank you for being a part of this journey. 🙏🎉🌸

Your support, comments, and presence mean the world. Wishing you all a day filled with warmth, laughter, and great connections! 🥂✨

~~🌻Thank You🌻~

R U the 1?

RU the 1?
the 1 2 read
what I wrote?

UC
UR more than a
stat
and that
is all that
matters
2 me

If 1 word
gives life
2 U
that is
the only
stat
that
is true

August 1, 2015

R U the 1?

RU the 1?
the 1 2 read
what I wrote?

UC
UR more than a
stat
and that
is all that
matters
2 me

If 1 word
gives life
2 U
that is
the only
stat
that
is true

August 1, 2015