{"id":41390,"date":"2021-04-06T09:31:42","date_gmt":"2021-04-06T16:31:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pocketwisdominsights.com\/pwicolab\/?p=41390"},"modified":"2021-04-06T09:31:44","modified_gmt":"2021-04-06T16:31:44","slug":"distanced-friends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pocketwisdominsights.com\/pwicolab\/community\/patriot-co-lab\/patriot-co-lab-blogs\/pwi-co-lab-staff\/distanced-friends\/","title":{"rendered":"Distanced \u2013 Connecting Without Connection"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Opening Insights: <\/h2>\n

Friendship is always a sweet responsibility, never an opportunity.<\/em>
KHALIL GIBRAN<\/p>\n

The following article was published by The Western Journal, a \"established to provide an alternative for readers fed up with the overt leftism of establishment media outlets.\" It was written by Samantha Kamman<\/a>, associate staff writer for The Western Journal.<\/p>\n

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Informational Insights: Trials of Isolation<\/h2>\n
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The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has tested many people\u2019s ability to endure extended periods of isolation.<\/p>\n

Our capacity for adaptation may tempt some into accepting distance communication as the new normal, but human beings are, by nature, social creatures. The positive benefits of real human interaction are too difficult to replicate through phones or computer screens.<\/p>\n

Tiny social interactions like talking face-to-face or touching another human being are easy to take for granted. With the pandemic turning these mundane actions into privileges, however, the consequences of deprivation have become apparent.<\/p>\n

Due to\u00a0COVID-19<\/a>\u00a0restrictions, the idea of venturing outside the house to spend time with\u00a0friends<\/a>\u00a0can seem like a foreign concept. Even if some places throughout the country have gradually started to\u00a0reopen<\/a>, most social gatherings are far more restrained than they used to be.<\/p>\n

As the country continues to cope with the pandemic, the impact of the virus has taken its toll on many in the form of mental illness.<\/p>\n

A December\u00a0Gallup<\/a>\u00a0survey reported that Americans\u2019\u00a0mental health<\/a>\u00a0is worse than it has ever been in the last two decades, with only 76 percent of Americans reporting their mental health was good or excellent. In past surveys, between 80 and 89 percent of participants reported positive mental health.<\/p>\n

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a>\u00a0conducted a report between Jan. 1 and Oct. 17 last year that showed children have not fared much better under COVID-19 quarantine measures.<\/p>\n

From early April to October, the number of mental health-related visits for children aged 5 to 11 and 12 to 17 had increased by 24 percent and 31 percent, respectively, compared to what they were in 2019.<\/p>\n

To licensed mental health counselors like Robin Atkins, the emotional side effects of COVID-19 are not unsurprising.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have studied the psychological impact of isolation on both prisoners of war and in penitentiaries,\u201d Atkins told The Western Journal. \u201cIsolation can causes severe depression, disassocation, and anxiety. Personal relationships and human touch are imperative to the mental well-being of the majority of people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are seeing skyrocketing suicides and suicide attempts as well as a backlog of people seeking therapy who are on long wait lists,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

There have been cases of\u00a0elderly<\/a>\u00a0folks choosing to end their lives throughout the country rather than live through the isolating\u00a0lockdowns<\/a>. Similar stories have been reported about\u00a0schoolchildren<\/a>\u00a0taking their lives after being deprived of socialization.<\/p>\n

The impact that friendships have on mental health makes it challenging to imagine Zoom chats and typed messages being a sufficient replacement. Creating friendships often takes time, and engaging in shared activities is often required to maintain that bond.<\/p>\n

Firing off a quick greeting to someone through a text or Facebook message is hardly as interactive as going to a restaurant or sports game. The commitment to stay and chat with someone does not appear to be there.<\/p>\n

Psychologist\u00a0Robin Dunbar<\/a>\u00a0examined the vitalness of friendships in the book,\u00a0\u201cFriends: Understanding the Power of Our Most Important Relationships,\u201d<\/a>\u00a0explaining why remote interactions cannot serve as a substitute for socializing in person.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur studies have shown that people much prefer face-to-face interactions to any kind of digital media and, while we\u2019re at it, the telephone,\u201d Dunbar wrote. \u201cIt has something to do with the speed of the repartee.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the puzzled reply to your witty text comes back the next day, you can\u2019t remember why you thought it was funny and so the reply leaves you baffled,\u201d he added. \u201cMore importantly, most of the things that really reinforce friendships through the endorphin system cannot be done online.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo hugs, no dancing. Eating and drinking at the other end of a cable are hardly the same either.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dunbar cited several studies that showed a link between people\u2019s health and the status of their friendships. For example, a 2014\u00a0Movember Foundation<\/a>\u00a0study found psychological distress was highest among men with few friends and low social support.<\/p>\n

The psychologist also referenced a series of studies conducted by professors Nicholas Christakis and James Fowler as further evidence of the positive health benefits of friendships.<\/p>\n

\u201cChristakis and Fowler evaluated more than 12,000 people who participated in the study from 1971 to 2003,\u201d Dunbar wrote. \u201cThey found that your chances of becoming happy, depressed or obese in the future, as well as the likelihood that you would give up smoking, were all strongly correlated with similar changes in your closest friend.\u201d<\/p>\n

The health benefits tied to in-person relationships, combined with people\u2019s desire for communal activities, led Dunbar to doubt that social\u00a0distancing<\/a>\u00a0guidelines will become the new normal.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the longrun, the pandemic wont have any effect on how people relate to each other,\u201d Dunbar told The Western Journal. \u201cCould you detect any effect due to the Spanish Flu? Not really \u2014 people were still hugging and kissing each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWill it have an effect in the short run? Yes, but only for a year or two. People are pretty good at recognising when a disease crisis has passed,\u201d he added. \u201cThe Roaring Twenties followed very quickly on the heels of the Spanish Flu, after all.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the meantime, there may be a rush to meet up with former friends again, because nothing is quite as emotionally uplifting as a face-to-face interaction.\u201d<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/socially-distanced-friendships-mental-health-experts-examine-cost-remote-socialization-covid-19\/<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This article was published on April 4, 2021 by THE WESTERN JOURNAL: Socially Distanced Friendships: Mental Health Experts Examine the Cost of Remote Socialization During COVID-19<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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Possibilities for Consideration: A Power Too Great<\/h2>\n

To stand against the immense power behind the technology, internet and financial organizations in charge of our government, media and education institutions we must get smarter and do it together.<\/p>\n

AwareComm\u00ae offers a platform that provides the resources and the guidance to meet this challenge.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just that we need a solution, in this new environment nobody will trust, everybody is angry, nobody listens, commerce stops, efficiency diminishes, nobody cares.<\/p>\n

Our culture consists of perception, attitude, thinking and behavior and we have created a culture now rooted in distrust, fear and anger.<\/p>\n

The following models illustrate the psychology of fear <\/strong>and control<\/strong>
being used to force America to its knees.<\/p>\n

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\"This<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Once people are conditioned emotionally to accept fear as a foundation perception, they become willing candidates to accept the principles of control. Thus, they become slaves to the authority, that being government, propaganda or social media influence.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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\"This<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Whatever we do, however we do it, this becomes the basis for how we will build relationships at home, work, worship and play. These models will permeate all dimensions of our lives and must be reversed if our communities and our country are to survive.<\/p>\n

The Real Solution: Founded in Spiritual Principles<\/h2>\n

A real solution, fully developed (tested, proven and paid for), is found in AwareComm's proprietary Adaptive Intelligence<\/em><\/strong> (AdI™) algorithm.<\/p>\n

\"This<\/figure>\n

The AdI™ algorithm aligns with the intent of Pope Francis's call for a 'Good Algorithm,'<\/a> to reverse the damage done by the irresponsible use of technology.<\/p>\n

\"This<\/figure>\n

Rebuilding Community Commerce - - Rebuilding the Soul of a Community<\/strong><\/p>\n

AwareComm's AdI™ algorithm is available in a community Collaboration Laboratory (Co-Lab™) Research and ePublishing Institute, where people learn to take charge of their communities by transcending adversity <\/strong>to diversity <\/strong>and solidarity <\/strong>through the application of responsible commerce<\/em>. Success is assured by applying the principles of Adaptive Intelligence to entrepreneurial thinking using socially responsible capitalism.<\/p>\n

\"This<\/figure>\n

What comes from an established foundation of commerce rooted in spiritual principles and AdI™ is a new business model. This business model, for the application of Socially Responsible Capitalism, is our theme and driving inspiration.<\/p>\n

A Co-Lab™ is the implementation mechanism of the result of 30+ years of field research.<\/p>\n

Co-Labs™ create an environment conducive to learning, solidarity and change (old ideas are more quickly learned and new ideas are more quickly accepted and implemented).<\/p>\n

Our Next Step<\/h2>\n

The AwareComm\u00ae Team is attracting partners in order to awaken in the people a desire for peace and solidarity as a way to fulfill their personal needs.<\/p>\n

Through a careful blend of AI + BI + HI + SI the Co-Lab™ Research Institute has the correct balance of technology, methodology, human understanding, spiritual principles and data science to put us on the right track to individual social and cultural empowerment.<\/p>\n

Due Diligence classes offer a deeper dive into the Co-Lab™ Research and ePublishing Institute to determine if this philosophy is effective for your community. You will learn:<\/p>\n