Make the Connection

A couple of weeks ago I was right in the middle of downtown Vancouver when Sidney Crosby scored the winning goal in the men’s hockey final at the 2010 Olympics.  The roar that came up from the crowd was incredible.  Walking down the street people were laughing and cheering and waving flags.  Perfect strangers were high fiving EVERYONE.

On a usual day, people downtown don’t try to touch you, but on this day there were open smiles and invitations.  People wanted to connect, to celebrate together.  So I walked down the street slapping hands with people I will never meet again. It struck me how easy it is to connect when we’re willing.  How often we hold ourselves back from that.

Holding back

The desire to hold back is very common.  I think we do it to protect ourselves, to keep from getting hurt.  We’ve convinced ourselves that we shouldn’t want that connection.  But the idea of separateness is a very modern one.  Not so long ago living communally was vital for survival.

Just last month my brother was in India and had the pleasure of participating in a community lunch.  Dozens of people were up on the roof all preparing food together.  Men and women, young and old, they chopped vegetables and called out to their neighbors.  Dave was struck by the joy in they had in making dinner, a task we often see as a chore.

So much is possible when we work together, but so often our instinct is not to get involved.  I wondered if it’s simply a part of our North American thinking, but I read article recently that challenged that.

In his article “Stand By” Shaun Smith asks “What if I decide to make a difference and it doesn’t make any difference at all?”  I think this is the real reason that so often, we back away.  What if I make the effort and am rejected? What if I spend resources and nothing changes? The problem is, this question screams at us so loudly we miss the other question lingering in its shadow “what if I become familiar with doing nothing at all.”

Take a minute to read Shaun’s article, you won’t be disappointed.  Do you find it easy to reach out to others?

Tags: Claire Colivn, communication, connection, gold medal, hockey, involved, olympics, People, Shaun Smith, Sidney Crosby, sports, World

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