Monika Jiang from Time, Trust and Wisdom

“Underneath the experience of loneliness is always a longing”. 

It is not part of our human nature to isolate ourselves from others – yet this is increasingly the reality of modern-day societies. Our physical environments (such as car-centric cities and single-person homes), our technologies (such as social media), and our attitude towards work (i.e. careerism and the false promise of busyness) are no longer affording us the same opportunities to connect as before.

Monika Jiang warns us that “connection must not be consumed” and urges us to slow down to realise what it is that we need and long for – and to be able to give our undivided attention to the people around us. Through examples such as the Offline Club in the Netherlands and the Human Library in Denmark, we can perhaps start to shape new (and old) communities. Because when we return to ourselves, we can also return to the world – and the understanding that we are not separate from nature but rather a part of it.