Let’s reclaim our human connection, which will reignite our creativity.
By Kathryn Haydon, MSc
The trend of hiding behind a phone while out in public could be contributing to the erosion of our common bonds.
To “unmask” your humanity, consider smiling at those you pass, even if your mouth is covered by a mask.
Talking to strangers in line at the store, or offering a compliment or random act of kindness, can brighten your day, lift up others, and fuel creativity.
On the day I’m writing this post, it’s nearly 65 degrees in March. Some call it “fool’s spring,” a perfectly appropriate term for a region that in some years features April snowstorms.
Whether the weather is tricking us or not, we’ll take it. People are out. A guy at the coffee shop is wearing shorts. I asked him about it and he beamed back at me. “Absolutely. I couldn’t not wear them,” he said.
These spontaneous interactions with others while we’re out and about are important. They fuel our creativity. They reinvigorate our humanity. They strengthen our communities.
For years, many of us have hidden behind our phones when we’re out on the town. Instead of smiling and chatting with strangers, our heads have been buried in the virtual world as real human connection passes us by.
This is a negative trend, a phenomenon that many believe is eroding our common bonds and communities. It’s an example of the inertia of no muffling the normal human interactions that keep our thoughts sparked and possibility-oriented.
Where we are today is far worse. There’s an extra layer of anonymity behind a mask—covered smiles, mumbled speech, a temptation to hide inside our own personal bubbles. Yet, each of us can immediately and easily make it better.
As life opens up again, let’s commit to bringing our humanity back even stronger than before. Let’s reclaim our human connection, which will reignite our creativity and that of those around us.
Here are four things you can do to not only unmask your humanity, but also to prime creativity
- Smile at everyone you pass. Your eyes will twinkle even if your mouth is covered.
- Talk to strangers. Strike up a conversation. Who cares if you have to yell to the person a fathom away. Get the whole line talking!
- Give a compliment. Notice something good about someone and tell them about it. Make their day.
- Commit a random act of kindness. At my coffee shop, I purchased a $5 gift card and asked the barista to use it to cover the next person’s order. You can do the same at the post office with stamps, at the market with groceries, or at the pet store with biscuits. Get flowers delivered to that dear woman on your street who lives alone, or write notes and stick them in neighbors’ mailboxes.
Need more ideas? Use this possibility question to brainstorm: What might be all the ways I can brighten someone’s day today?
Use one of your own ideas, choose from the four above, or activate them all. I guarantee that your own day will be brighter, your creativity will become more fluid, and your actions will bring more humanity to your community.
Originally published at Psychology Today