Take to Talking... (Part 1, Social)

We are all characters, but we aren't all playing our part.

We have approached a new segment that delves into the thought of the seven dimensions of wellness.  These, though rather new to our thinking, are in fact primary and fundamental ideals of how the human body functions.  We pick up our thought here, at the first part of wellness; prior to that, we should define wellness.  Wellness is the state of well-being, though this concept is more abstract the essential identifying mark is measured in our ability.  Our ability to do the simplest of tasks, ranging toward the more difficult or complex, this ability aids us in measuring our overall wellness.  

When asked, "How are you doing?", what comes to mind?  What aspect of your life are you basing your response off of?  Is it the recent experience at work or school, is it the level of comfort you have with the person asking, or do we base it off an agile or alert evaluation of our physical health?  The idea yields to the concept of wellness; all of those factors play into the response and should be factored in appropriately.  Wellness is a culmination of all that we experience, feel, and interact with.  Such a simple question, but such a loaded response... 

The first segment of wellness we will discuss together is Social Wellness.  With a key understanding of wellness we can confidently address our social wellness.  Our society is quite the oddity isn't it?  We live by agreement, yet we thrive on reassurance, all the while making unconscious yet pointed efforts to isolate ourselves.  The dichotomy of our society and its social makeup can be confusing.  When is a good time to speak, should you speak, how to speak and the like can be intimidating and also confusing.  What is a friend, or who do you divulge information to, and how much also make matters of social engagement disconcerting.  Being yourself has become so popular that everyone is the same, we run from conformity for conformity sake, yet we yield to the primitive and essential idea that collaboration and community are the staples of life.  Balancing this all while trying to find a niche (if you will) in the social arena can make for strange and sometimes, humorous occurrences.  

The ability to have a social experience with others is necessary and often substituted for a more manageable and accepting backup.  This backup is the realm of technology, where we have no face, but the one we want, and have a voice more scripted and without the inflection of meaning and sincerity.  A place where miles and borders are mere formalities and lines.  A place where Egypt, Alaska, and Japan are all as close as arms reach.  However, this isn't without its flaws and shortcomings, who we are or who we are speaking with may not be fact.  Intentions, and ideals may be unclear and deception is as probably (if not more so) as success.  

Speaking, interacting and having a physical relation with others can not be ignored or devalued.  We are finding the written and verbal arts deteriorate at alarming pace.  Conversing with others and engaging in social context are becoming prized events, rather than the norm.  Our society is a busy one, and becoming more the case as we "progress".  Our social health depends on our ability to function in our society effectively.  Text messages, social media and the like have their respective place in our society and serve a purpose.  However, it would be unwise of us to supplant our innate design to have a healthy social experience, for the injudicious stints of updates, likes, favorites and "lol's". 

This is not to say social media is bad, but to say it is essential is rather troubling too.  The more we plug in we disconnect, the same way the more we break the mold we set the pattern.  Social health is very important and young and old can truly benefit from it.  Our older populations are often isolated and illnesses can begin to express themselves; our younger population the same, start to find less than desirable things to occupy their minds when fronted with anti-socialism. 

Lifting weights and eating kale is all fine and well, but that's not all there is to health.  We need to be more diverse and more open and engage in all aspects of our lives.  We don't just clean the outside of a dirty cup do we?  Likewise, we pay attention to all parts, ensuring that we are complete.  Have fun, and truly enjoy the ability to socialize, we learn so much from one another and strengthen one another in the process.  Human interaction seems to be going out of style in some parts.  Lets resolve to bring it back.