Thomas Merton

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Rhythm and harmony

Manilal Roopa

Manilal Roopa is a retired educator and facilitator. He lives in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. He became a Heartfulness trainer in 1991, and continues to work in this role.

<h4 style="text-align:justify;">MANILAL ROOPA lives in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, South Africa. He is retired after a career as an educator and facilitator for over 50 years, and continues to work as a Heartfulness trainer, which he has done for over 30 years. As a “colored” under Apartheid in South Africa, he has been through much and seen a lot of social change during his life, radiating peacefulness and love throughout.</h4>“As-salamu alaykum.” May peace be upon you. “Wa alaykumu s-salaam.” And may peace be upon you too.Over two billion people around the world exchange this beautiful greeting. It is in Arabic and uttered by every Muslim several times a day. Over a quarter of the world’s population are greeting each other with this prayer for peace. I am honored that many of my Muslim friends greet me this way.<figure class="image"><img src="https://cdn-hfn.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/may_peace_upon_you2_7f98656f90.jpg"></figure>Over a billion Hindus greet each other by joining their palms and saying “Namaste,” meaning “I bow to the Divine in you.”Over three billion Christians refer to Jesus as the “Prince of Peace,” and many say the prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi:&nbsp;Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:&nbsp; where there is hatred, let me sow love;&nbsp; where there is injury, pardon;&nbsp; where there is doubt, faith;&nbsp; where there is despair, hope;&nbsp; where there is darkness, light;&nbsp; where there is sadness, joy.O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek&nbsp; to be consoled as to console,&nbsp; to be understood as to understand,&nbsp; to be loved as to love.&nbsp; For it is in giving that we receive,&nbsp; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,&nbsp; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.&nbsp; Amen.My silent prayer is that more and more of us embrace this idea of peace every day of our lives.&nbsp;Daaji, the global guide of Heartfulness, encourages us to send out subtle suggestions daily into the universe:Everything around me is absorbing peace; the air, the oceans, the trees, the structures, the animals and humans. All are radiating peace.All humanity is becoming peaceful, showing more compassion, more kindness, and more love.The world may be in turmoil, the antithesis to peace: Russia and Ukraine, the conflict in Sudan, Palestine, North and South Korea, the riots in France, and political turmoil in several countries.&nbsp;Our past is replete with similar chaos, skirmishes, invasions, and wars. What we are witnessing is not new. A few centuries ago, European countries were constantly at war. Furthermore, in as much as religions advocate peace and harmony among all, the spread of some major religions are premised on brutal conversions.Babuji, the founding spiritual guide of Heartfulness, summed it up poignantly:“Religion divides, spirituality unites.”The term peacefulness is nuanced on the noun peace. It connotes more than individual peace – a world full of peace. As our hearts become full of love, serenity, peace, gratitude, and humility, our world will be transformed into a world of peacefulness.Om Dyauh Shantir-Antariksham Shanti Prathivi Shantir – Apah Shantir Omshadayah Shanti Vanaspatayah Shanti&nbsp;&nbsp; Vishve Devah Shantir Brahma Shanti Sarvam Shanti Shantireva Shanti Sa Ma Shantiir-Edhi Om Shanti Shanti ShantiIt means, “O Supreme Creator, may there be peace in the sky, may there be peace in all the celestial regions, may the earth be at peace. The water, the medicinal and nutritious herbs, the trees and plants all be at peace. Let there be peace in all the elements of nature. Let everything in which You exist be at peace. Let peace reign everywhere. Finally, may that glorious peace abide in me. May there be peace, peace, peace.”This is a prayer for peace uttered by over a billion Hindus.&nbsp;With half the world’s population praying for peace every day, I envisage a state of peacefulness reigning in the hearts of humanity in the not too distant future. May more and more of us embrace this idea of peace every day of our lives.<figure class="image"><img src="https://cdn-hfn.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/may_peace_upon_you3_c7d6ddc31e.jpg"></figure><hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">With half the world’s population praying for peace every day,&nbsp; I envisage a state of peacefulness reigning in the hearts of humanity in the not too distant future.</h4><hr>&nbsp;

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May peace be upon you

Sylvie Berti Rossi

Johanna Vilhjalmsdottir

<h4 style="text-align:justify;">JOHANNA VILHJALMSDOTTIR and SYLVIE BERTI ROSSI offer us a glimpse of this year’s Spirit of Humanity Forum’s retreat in Iceland. They also share insights from some of the participants on the final day.</h4>The 2023 Spirit of Humanity Forum was held from 31 May to 3 June in Reykjavik and Hveragerði, Iceland. One hundred and twenty leaders from 27 countries and diverse fields came together to explore the theme “Healing a World in Crisis – Leading with Authenticity and Love.”&nbsp;After ten years of existence, this sixth edition of the forum moved away from the usual panel discussions to embrace a retreat format, offering us all a unique and transformative experience that had a lasting impact on our lives. The commitment, confidence, and courage of the group to embark on a profound journey surpassed the expectations of the organizers and made their dream a reality.&nbsp;The opening reception was hosted by the City of Reykjavik at City Hall, and an atmosphere of authentic sharing was established, fostering unity among participants from all corners of the world. Over the next three days, the retreat provided an opportunity to set aside roles and titles and engage at a purely human level.&nbsp;We delved deep into the exploration of authenticity, love, and healing. We cultivated trust, exploring authentic dialogue, the art of listening, and moments of silence, creating an atmosphere conducive to personal growth and collective transformation.One of the highlights was an online interview with the Prime Minister of Iceland, Katrín Jakobsdóttir, who spoke on spirituality, self-reflection, and the importance of care in governance, and her words resonated with the participants, highlighting the significance of personal experiences in leadership.The emphasis on love and compassion as essential elements for a better world was prominent throughout. Guðni Thorlacius Jóhannesson, the President of Iceland, stressed the importance of genuine care for one another in restoring peace globally. His message catalyzed many to share their experiences and perspectives, reinforcing the notion of a shared humanity and the hope for a brighter future.The forum concluded with “The Language of Peace,” a public event organized in the Fríkirkjan church in Reykjavík, where some of the participants shared their reflections.&nbsp;As we approach the International Day of Peace on September 21, we invite you to listen to some of these touching voices from different continents, cultures, languages, and professional backgrounds. Each voice speaks of peace in their own way, through a poem, an experience, an encounter, an action, a life situation, or a reflection. But they all carry the same hope in their hearts: that a more peaceful world will come.<h4 style="text-align:center;">LYNDA LEOGAH FORKWA</h4>A typical crisis situation reveals a disconnect at all levels. What do I mean by this? Political disconnect (we can see that all over the world), economic disconnect, social disconnect, cultural disconnect, and sadly, spiritual disconnect.&nbsp;The big question is, how do we encourage the language of peace in our current situation? How do we co-create a regenerative future for all? How do we enable a peaceful coexistence on Earth for all Earth’s citizens? How do we create a global atmosphere where all cultures are respected in their diversity?&nbsp;In my own little way, I encourage the language of peace by tapping from within; tapping into my inner values, tapping into my inner home. What about you? What are the differing levels of contributions to this Earth? How do you intend to make a gesture for others to follow? If you’re unsure about how to go about it, I invite you to join me on the <a href="https://www.homeforhumanity.earth/onehomejourney">One Home Journey</a>, a course that intends to connect cultures, to build a regenerative future for all. We need a new framework for the future, to save the future, save citizens, and shape the future of our children, our children’s children. The time to act is now.<figure class="image"><img src="https://cdn-hfn.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/language_peace2_196e7364d4.jpg"></figure><h4 style="text-align:center;">NOOR BALFAQEEH</h4>This is the first time I am speaking in a church. Coming from an Islamic background, it’s really an honor, and I can’t describe in words how proud I feel of being here with you today in this Forum.&nbsp;I would like to share a quote from a book I read at the beginning of the year, The Secrets of Divine Love. It is written by a Muslim lady, A. Helwa, who tried to redefine Islamic teachings in a very unique way. I’ll share a quote about love, as love is what we’ve been talking about for the last few days.“We polish our heart to unveil the interconnectedness of creation, to embrace the places within us where love lives and compassion flourishes. And to see that beneath all outward defenses we all originate from a single seed of divine vibration. When we fully face Allah [and Allah, by the way, is how we call God in Arabic], we become like a holy mirror that contains the entire world within our love. After all, our journey here is not to just connect with the Divine in worship. But once we do this, to return to that creation as a sign of Allah’s unending love on Earth. You are not just a pottery fashioned from dust and water. You were sent to be Allah’s eyes on Earth. You were sent as a reflection of love and compassion for all those with hurting hearts. You were sent to reflect Allah’s mercy upon the entire universe.&nbsp;“As the 9th century Persian mystic, Iman Junayd said, ‘A Muslim is like Earth. Even if impurities are thrown on it, it will blossom into a green pasture.’ We are called to be like a date tree so rooted in the love of Allah that when people throw stones at you, you reply with food that tastes sweet.”&nbsp;Thank you.<figure class="image"><img src="https://cdn-hfn.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/language_peace3_b95359e1d2.jpg"></figure><h4 style="text-align:center;">MARTIN FRICK</h4>When I was invited to speak about the language of peace, the first thing I thought about was food because when there is no peace one of the starkest consequences of war is hunger. Today we have 350 million people who are acutely hungry. Despite Covid, despite climate change, the biggest driver of hunger is still war. And hunger is what you get when everything goes belly up with international cooperation. In the end, it’s always the same people going hungry.&nbsp;I also want to speak about food because it’s the most essential, human, and connecting thing I can think of. We are in a Christian church, and breaking bread is the most Christian gesture there is. In every single religious tradition food has a special meaning, because food is not a given, it’s a gift we share. If we are conscious about it, it’s actually a way out of many crises.&nbsp;For example, food connects to climate change in a very direct way. Every year we are losing three times the size of Switzerland to land degradation. If we work together to restore the barren land for agricultural use, we will improve food security, we will bring communities together, we will bring herders and farmers together, we will bring Christians and Muslims together. It is around food that we can do that.&nbsp;The most beautiful thing is actually what makes plants grow. The biggest miracle for me is carbon dioxide. Plants take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and use a process called photosynthesis that has been working for 3.5 billion years to bind CO2 and at the same time produce food.So I want to conclude with hope. I’ve been involved with the climate crisis since 2007 when I framed the notion of climate justice. Equitable and fair food production can lead to climate justice. If we get it right, the climate crisis is our common enemy and nothing unites us more than a common enemy. It’s not one human tribe against another human tribe. It’s the human race against an existential threat, and that is my hope.<figure class="image"><img src="https://cdn-hfn.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/language_peace4_5922e467dc.jpg"></figure><h4 style="text-align:center;">LUNGELWA MAKGOBA</h4>I greet you all in the language of peace and love. I am immensely blessed to be here in this community where I have felt welcomed and experienced love. I would like to share a prayer from my faith tradition in my mother tongue, Xhosa, a language spoken by the majority in the southern part of Southern Africa, the tip of our continent. The language of peace is love, and that’s the language we speak here.&nbsp;As I say these words, and offer you this prayer, it’s a reminder to myself that we stand on holy ground. It is all holy ground, you are holy ground; you are made of the Earth yourselves. We will all go out into the world to feed the hungry spirits and be the love that our world needs. The language of peace is love. If we get the love right, we’ll get the peacemaking right.<figure class="image"><img src="https://cdn-hfn.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/language_peace5_4c36c0a725.jpg"></figure><h4 style="text-align:center;">LISA REEFKE</h4>Hello everyone. I have been asked many times over the past three days, “Who are you?” I’m Lisa, an international civil servant. I’ve been on a journey of inspiration and humility. I so wish I could take you all on this journey and see the incredible moments I’ve lived while traveling and serving in different conflicts across continents, talking to presidents, ministers, political opposition leaders, community elders, women, and young people. I feel deeply privileged for this opportunity. I’ve chosen two examples – one at the very onset of my career, twenty years ago, and a more recent example.&nbsp;Shortly after the independence of Timor-Leste, I traveled there to see what it would be like to build a country, to work with the people. I was invited to a meeting with the President of this newly born country. You imagine presidents living in big palaces, but he did not; he was working from a palace of ashes, a burnt down building. He worked from there for years. He would sleep with the people in the park. He was the President. He was a former fighter for the country’s independence. He wanted to be close to his people. What a humbling experience.Now I’m working in Afghanistan, and I’ve been there for a number of years. I talk to the Taliban and it’s hard. I think the place has really taken me to my limits. I feel at times frustrated, and sometimes angry, but who am I to be angry? I have spoken with some amazing women, and one of these brave young women told me, “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning to dance in the rain.” Over the years, these and many other experiences, day-to-day, have humbled me, have made me believe in our common humanity.&nbsp;As I have continued my journey, I have often asked myself, “Who am I to judge?” I keep in mind what a beloved poet, very well known in Afghanistan, said centuries ago, “Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and right doing there is a field. I will meet you there.” Thank you.<figure class="image"><img src="https://cdn-hfn.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/language_peace6_e6c691cd08.jpg"></figure><h4 style="text-align:center;">ILA&nbsp;MALHOTRA GREGORY&nbsp;</h4>An Invitation to Mirror/Mirrorswe are both portals and mirrors windows to where we could go and reflections of where we aresmooth, honest, jagged, shattered the truth of this mirror dependent on our heartsto mirror asks us to live in our heart in the nia that abides in each one residing in the makeen, expansive and graciousrecognizing all as empty and full the paradox of this complex lifecan we hold this?can we come as we are and reflect from a place of pure love?can we dance with the shards?united in deep devotion for creation let us be both one and many loosening our grip on the distinctions they may dissolve we may flourishour beings rest in bhakti our mirroring is devotion in service of the world we long to see of the beings we long to be

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The language of peace

Kiffer is Assistant Professor in Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, Canada. He is also affiliated with The Pacific Institute on Pathogens, Pandemics, and Society; The Canadian Alliance for Social Connection and Health; and the GenWell Project.

Kiffer George Card

<h4>Could public health guidelines help stop loneliness?&nbsp;KIFFER GEORGE CARD shares both research and his perspective on how we can address the pandemic of loneliness. He advocates coming together in a whole-of-society response, which means addressing the very problem he is seeking to solve.&nbsp;</h4>United States Surgeon General Vivek Murthy recently called&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/loneliness-surgeon-general-epidemic-covid/">loneliness an epidemic</a>&nbsp;and issued a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-social-connection-advisory.pdf">public health advisory</a>&nbsp;on the healing effects of social connection and community.&nbsp;The report warned of the considerable adverse effects of loneliness and social isolation – comparing it to <a href="https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.2013.301261">other leading risk factors</a>&nbsp;for premature death such as smoking, obesity, elevated blood pressure, and high cholesterol.<h4>Loneliness and social isolation can be harmful</h4>In my work as a social and behavioral epidemiologist, I have studied how social and community connectedness shapes health outcomes,&nbsp;<a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-017-1939-7">ranging from HIV</a>&nbsp;to&nbsp;<a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13691058.2018.1439186">substance use</a>.&nbsp;For example, my colleagues and I have previously shown that social isolation is associated with a&nbsp;<a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-020-03000-2">48 percent increase</a>&nbsp;in odds for premature death, and that lonely people have&nbsp;<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/jech-2019-213566">71 percent higher odds</a>&nbsp;of reporting fair or poor health.&nbsp;Other researchers have also documented the havoc that loneliness wreaks on individuals, showing that lonely and isolated people have&nbsp;<a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/abm/kaaa029">poorer immune function</a>, experience&nbsp;<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2019.08.189">higher levels of inflammation</a>, and are at greater risk for&nbsp;<a href="https://doi.org/10.1136/heartjnl-2015-308790">heart disease</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/ncponc1134">cancer</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-017-4948-6">and diabetes</a>.&nbsp;While everybody’s vulnerability to loneliness and social isolation differs, we all need social connection. Perhaps just as importantly,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/the-secret-to-happiness-heres-some-advice-from-the-longest-running-study-on-happiness-2017100512543#:%7E:text=The%20Harvard%20Study%20has%20found%20a%20strong%20association,isolation%20is%20a%20mood%20buster%2C%E2%80%9D%20says%20Dr.%20Waldinger.">Harvard research</a>&nbsp;from the longest-running cohort study ever conducted suggests that warm social relationships are the most important predictor of happiness across the life course.&nbsp;In other words, people who are disconnected lead sicker, sadder, and shorter lives.&nbsp;<h4>Public health guidelines</h4>In response to this epidemic of loneliness, my team at&nbsp;<a href="https://casch.org/guidelines">the Canadian Alliance for Social Connection and Health&nbsp;</a>has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.universityaffairs.ca/news/news-article/university-researchers-are-helping-to-create-a-canadian-guide-for-social-connection/">engaged experts from across Canada</a>&nbsp;and globally to develop the world’s first public health guidelines for social connection.&nbsp;Similar to the&nbsp;<a href="https://food-guide.canada.ca/en/">nutrition</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.participaction.com/">exercise</a>,&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://ccsa.ca/canadas-guidance-alcohol-and-health">alcohol use</a>&nbsp;guidelines promoted by many national governments, social connection guidelines have the potential to improve our health and happiness by helping us all prioritize social connections in our daily lives.&nbsp;They can also raise awareness among healthcare providers and policymakers to ensure these experts are taking actions consistent with the latest evidence highlighting the importance of social health.<h4>Promising guidelines for better social health</h4>Regardless of levels of introversion or extroversion, insufficient social connection is associated with poorer well-being. While everybody’s vulnerability to loneliness and social isolation differs, we all need social connection. Yet, people generally&nbsp;<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2022.02.007">underestimate the benefits of connecting</a>&nbsp;with others and overestimate the costs, which include the emotional labor and mental energy needed to manage relationships and your self-presentation.<a href="https://doi.org/10.1027/1614-0001/a000048">Regardless of levels</a>&nbsp;of introversion or extroversion, insufficient social connection is associated with poorer well-being.&nbsp;This is because social connection is a biological imperative. We evolved in&nbsp;<a href="https://theconversation.com/dunbars-number-why-my-theory-that-humans-can-only-maintain-150-friendships-has-withstood-30-years-of-scrutiny-160676">close-knit communities</a>. For ancient humans, social exclusion was a death sentence. Loneliness is our body’s way of&nbsp;<a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02699931.2013.837379">keeping us connected</a>, but sometimes&nbsp;<a href="https://casch.org/theory">we get trapped</a>&nbsp;by it.&nbsp;Public health guidelines can help raise awareness of the importance of social connection and provide us with a road map for better social health. But what should these guidelines look like?&nbsp;This is exactly what&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/from-social-distancing-to-social-connection-the-genwell-project-s-nationwide-survey-reinforces-the-importance-of-human-connection-as-canada-transitions-to-post-pandemic-recovery-822887144.html">my team has set out to understand</a>&nbsp;as part of a multi-phased, mixed-method study funded by and conducted in partnership with the Canadian government.&nbsp;<figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://cdn-hfn.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/7tips_social_connection2_68d5da4a3a.jpg"></figure>So far, we have identified a few promising approaches that each of us can act on right now:<ol style="list-style-type:decimal;"><li>Make sure to have&nbsp;<a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/60283c2e174c122f8ebe0f39/t/645a88655583045704102e40/1683654757592/CSCG_Evidence+Brief_Number+of+Friends.pdf">three to five close friendships</a>&nbsp;to call on when you’re in need.&nbsp; Research has shown that individuals who have at least three to five close friends experience the lowest levels of loneliness, anxiety, depression, and a range of other adverse health outcomes. Having too many friends can sacrifice quality for quantity. Having too few can leave you alone in a time of need.</li><li>Get&nbsp;<a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/60283c2e174c122f8ebe0f39/t/640e0384b9ce9e602bf93c77/1678640005938/CSCG_Evidence+Brief_Social+Time.pdf">one to three hours of social interaction per day</a>.&nbsp; That’s between 7 and 21 hours of social time per week – far more than the average of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/atus.nr0.htm">34 minutes of socializing most of us get each day</a>. This value aligns with the approximate&nbsp;<a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Robin-Dunbar/publication/235356868_Theory_of_mind_and_the_evolution_of_language/links/53dfc58b0cf2a768e49bddbd/Theory-of-mind-and-the-evolution-of-language.pdf">24 hours per week</a>&nbsp;that tribal and pastoral societies have historically enjoyed. While this may seem like a daunting jump in social hours for some, social interactions can include a wide variety of activities: chit chat with your barista, a phone call to a friend, conversation over dinner.</li><li><a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/60283c2e174c122f8ebe0f39/t/640e03a10c9c9c5dbec35801/1678640034544/CSCG_Evidence+Brief_Network+Composition.pdf">Prioritize spending time with those closest to you</a>.&nbsp; We’ve found that individuals need to socialize with both “strong” and “weak” ties, but that the balance of your social energy should be spent on close friends and family with whom you have warm relationships. This is because close relationships fulfil our most important&nbsp;<a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00901">relational needs</a>: to feel loved, acknowledged and validated. Building these&nbsp;<a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0265407518761225">strong ties takes time</a>.</li><li>Diversity in your social network is important too.&nbsp; <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167214529799">So-called “weak ties” – those you don’t have a close relationship with – also matter</a>. In fact, studies have shown that&nbsp;<a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igaa009">talking to neighbors</a>&nbsp;can build a sense of community;&nbsp;<a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/15555240.2018.1436444">making friends at work</a>&nbsp;can reduce job stress; and even&nbsp;<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2022.104356">talking to strangers</a> can create a sense of safety and provide a meaningful source of connection. Different relationships provide different types of support.&nbsp;</li><li>Recognize the risks of&nbsp;<a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/60283c2e174c122f8ebe0f39/t/63e67385a6ab9322c8125ea6/1676047237951/CSCG_Evidence+Brief_Living+alone.pdf">living alone</a>.&nbsp; People who live alone are at increased risk of loneliness and&nbsp;<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2022.101677">studies have shown</a>&nbsp;that living alone,&nbsp;<a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuv024">particularly for men</a>, is hazardous to your health. That means that if you live alone, prioritizing social relationships may be especially important to you.&nbsp;</li><li><a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/60283c2e174c122f8ebe0f39/t/6410a513a2173037c04a2141/1678812436160/CSCG_Evidence+Brief_Old+Friends.pdf">Reach out to old friends</a>&nbsp;and don’t be afraid to&nbsp;<a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/60283c2e174c122f8ebe0f39/t/640e03cb6924ff0526a018e9/1678640075343/CSCG_Evidence+Brief_New+Connections.pdf">make new ones</a>.&nbsp; Keeping and maintaining relationships can be hard – especially in today’s fast-paced world. Renewing old friendships can be an easy way to keep your social calendar full, but keeping a healthy level of engagement with new people will make sure your friendship well doesn’t run dry.</li><li>Don’t forget the importance of solitude.&nbsp; Just as time with others is important, it’s also important to have time alone. It is perfectly good, and even healthy, to spend time alone. We call this “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118427378">solitude</a>.” In fact, for some, time with others may even&nbsp;<a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-023-00661-3">exacerbate feelings of loneliness</a>. Time alone provides an opportunity to restore your social reserves and meet your own personal needs.</li></ol>Following these and other strategies can improve your health and well-being. However, addressing loneliness, like many of the big problems we face today, will require a whole-of-society response. Public health guidelines for social connection can provide the foundation for such an approach.<figure class="image image-style-align-center"><img src="https://cdn-hfn.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/7tips_social_connection3_6c8c0ad1cd.jpg"></figure>This article is reprinted with permission from the author and The Conversation under Creative Commons license from&nbsp;<a href="https://theconversation.com/could-public-health-guidelines-help-stop-loneliness-7-tips-that-show-how-crucial-social-connection-is-to-well-being-205358">https://theconversation.com/could-public-health-guidelines-help-stop-loneliness-7-tips-that-show-how-crucial-social-connection-is-to-well-being-205358</a>.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Illustrations by ARATI SHEDDE</h4><hr>&nbsp;

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7 tips that show how crucial social connection is to well-being

Marshall B. Rosenberg

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The most precious gift

Guy is an energetic healer who also wrote Transforming Autism about how his family enabled their son to transform from a highly autistic toddler to a happy six-year-old, living a full contented life. He proposes a radical inspiring way to understand autism.He is also a Heartfulness trainer.

Guy Shahar

<h4>GUY SHAHAR embarked on a career in energy healing with little understanding of what it entailed, after experiencing Dr. Bradley Nelson’s method, The Emotion Code. The results spoke for themselves. After becoming certified as a healer, Guy is now watching with wonder how the method is unfolding and evolving, and how he is growing through the process.</h4>I never gave energy healing any serious consideration until after my first visit to Kanha Shanti Vanam Ashram in 2020.&nbsp; The idea of sitting in a room and being able to heal another person in another town or on another continent seemed interesting but fantastical to me.A few years before that, I’d had a health breakdown following a long difficult situation at work. I was housebound for 3 months, and one of the things I’d been doing was receiving online energy healing with a practitioner. I didn’t really know what it was or how it worked, but I figured it was worth a try.It was during one session after that visit to Kanha that I heard a voice in my own head saying, “You should do this!” I almost dismissed it because energy healing was so far from anything I ever thought I’d do, or would be able to do.<h4>The Emotion Code</h4>But having heard the voice, I couldn’t ignore it. So I half-heartedly looked up the method I’d been receiving, The Emotion Code. It is based on the idea of releasing “trapped emotions” that come up at various points in our lives but are not fully processed. Perhaps it is because we are too overwhelmed or triggered at the time, and instead repress them, so they lodge as excess and disruptive energy in our system, and lead to all sorts of physical and mental issues.I discovered that it was actually a very simple method, and very easy to do, but required an ability that I didn’t think I had – “muscle-testing” to obtain clear yes or no answers from the subconscious mind of the person being treated.The man who created The Emotion Code, Dr. Bradley Nelson, has written a book of the same name which guides people how to do it. It includes a chapter on how to muscle test. I had zero confidence that a written chapter in a book would enable me to learn this important new skill, but I picked up a copy and by the end of the chapter, doing the exercises he suggested, I was surprised to get some reasonably clear answers.So I persisted with learning the method, using it on myself and my family, without any expectation of results. None came until one day when I was suffering from severe back pain and inflammation, and my wife suggested I try The Emotion Code to help. I wasn’t hopeful but had nothing to lose, so I went upstairs and released a number of trapped emotions. By the time I had finished, I was surprised to find that the pain had halved, and it continued to diminish as the day went on. When I told my wife, she took a look at my back and exclaimed that the inflammation had also gone down. That was the first time I genuinely felt there was something in energy healing.I had similar results when working with others in need. People’s pains disappeared in front of my eyes on Zoom calls. People who’d been depressed started smiling with an inner joy they’d not felt for ages. Children’s issues started to be resolved when we worked on them through their parents. Even pets showed dramatic improvement. And each time, it was me who was more surprised than the other person, as if I couldn’t quite believe the results that were happening.&nbsp;I had the good fortune to record&nbsp;<a href="https://youtu.be/HZ8zQVgOuvc">an interview with Dr. Nelson</a> recently, where he said that he shared the same surprise at good results, even after many years of practicing his own system. When asked how his approach brings about changes, he just shrugs and says, “I just work here.”My surprise at the results was a little ironic, however, because I’d been a Heartfulness trainer for nearly 20 years, and I was used to sitting at home giving meditation sessions to people far away, which I had no doubt were effective. But for some reason the idea of working in the same way to bring about more material health benefits hadn’t occurred to me.I was starting to field calls from people who’d been referred to me by friends and family, and I realized I needed to start doing this professionally. So I got certified in The Emotion Code, and then in a vastly expanded version of it known as The Body Code, and then launched a company, <a href="https://heartfulhealing.co.uk">Heartful Healing</a>.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Perhaps it is because we are too overwhelmed or triggered at the time, and instead repress our emotions, so they lodge as excess and disruptive energy in our system, and lead to all sorts of physical and mental issues.</h4><hr><figure class="image image-style-align-center"><img src="https://cdn-hfn.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/energy_healing2_98cae58348.jpg"></figure><h4>How does energy healing work?</h4>One of the questions I’m often asked is how energy healing actually works, and I’m no closer to having an answer. But having reflected on it, there are now 3 steps I always take at the start of a session:&nbsp;<ol style="list-style-type:decimal;"><li>Connect to a Higher Power Make a deep connection to a higher power, whatever that means to you. Dr. Nelson advocates this. As a Heartfulness practitioner, this is an easy step: I bring my attention to the constant inner presence in the heart that we’re gifted when we meditate with Heartfulness regularly and sincerely. It becomes an ever-present and vital part of our existence. That way, I’m not dependent of my own ultra-limited capabilities.</li><li>Connect with the client I focus my attention on them so that the answers I get from muscle testing reflect their own responses. I do this with as much love and prayerfulness for their well-being as possible.</li><li>Positive intention Together with the client, we set a positive intention for the results of the work. This is really important, as dwelling on problems actually exacerbates them. As the old saying goes, “Where attention goes, energy flows.” I invite them to put their attention on the positive outcome that they want, rather than the current negative situation they don’t.</li></ol><figure class="image image-style-align-center"><img src="https://cdn-hfn.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/energy_healing3_a799de95aa.jpg"></figure><hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">I bring my attention to the constant inner presence in the heart that we’re gifted when we meditate with Heartfulness regularly and sincerely.</h4><hr><img src="https://cdn-hfn.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/energy_healing4_b0a3ffd2e3.jpg"><hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">“Where attention goes, energy flows.”</h4><hr>For example, if they can’t sleep, we don’t focus on “I want to be free of these sleeping problems,” but rather, they picture themselves waking up happy and refreshed in the morning, full of positive energy. They connect with how that will feel, and experience joy and gratitude as if they have it now. If they do this while the work is going on, it is especially powerful. The more they keep this changed perspective through their daily lives, the better.Then the session begins. We identify the imbalances in the person’s system which need to be released, and use a simple technique to release them. But I can’t help feeling that this and other healing methods are a little superfluous, as the essentials of the work are established in those initial 3 steps.&nbsp;Those 3 steps are a sort of prayer for a particular manifestation, and perhaps it is the ultimate destination of any healer to end up in a place where the healing occurs through prayer alone.I’ve started to move in this direction with some more pioneering clients, using a method I call “Accelerated Healing,” which bypasses the need to identify each individual imbalance. It uses the release technique to release or rebalance whatever needs it, to bring the result they want. I find the results to be at least as effective as an established modality. It’s a step in the direction of where I suspect healing will ultimately take me.<figure class="image image-style-align-center"><img src="https://cdn-hfn.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/energy_healing5_53a3332abf.jpg"></figure><hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Illustrations by JASMEE MUDGAL</h4><hr><img>

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