Rebuilding Society Through Connection

We haven’t truly experienced connection in centuries. One of our most fundamental human motivations—one of our basic needs—has been unmet for ages. The consequences? Widespread loneliness, disconnection, and a way of life that fights against human nature.

This morning during my workout, I started to wonder: What happens when we do reconnect?

I’ve been studying Erich Neumann’s work on the development of consciousness, how Einstein and Newton’s best ideas emerged through walking, and how Gabor Maté reveals the deep impact of unmet childhood needs. As I connected these ideas, I began to see a powerful pattern in my own life; an experience so profound that I now recognize it everywhere.

My psychological awakening could have unraveled into something destructive if it weren’t for meaning. Meaning pulls us out of our heads; so does connection. A relationship with the divine can do it too. I felt stuck, piecing together a puzzle that didn’t quite fit, but reading and experiencing Jung, Camus, and Campbell’s Hero’s Journey gave me a framework to understand my loneliness and isolation.

As I immersed myself in their work, I began to sense their relationship with words. I realized that words aren’t just written; they’re felt. Certain words, certain ideas, carried weight beyond their definitions. I started paying attention to the emotions they stirred in me and realized, there is an entire language beyond language itself; a way of knowing that exists outside of words, in pure experience.

We often think leaving skeletons in the closet means we’ll forget them. Those buried truths don’t disappear; they shape us in ways we don’t see, manifesting as unconscious habits, fears, and patterns that affect both mental and physical health. Tell all your secrets, and see what happens. Your life changes. You stop obsessing over yourself and don’t even realize how those hidden shames and unspoken truths were driving your actions in the opposite direction of what you really need.

When we finally confront the issues we’ve been avoiding for decades, we can begin to heal. If we don’t, those old habits and fears keep reappearing; fueling shame and affecting how we see the world. Shame changes our physiology, it distorts our perspective.

On the surface, human behavior might look unpredictable, but at its core, it’s often quite predictable. We’re constantly reacting to an environment that doesn’t meet our deepest needs, which can drag us into negative thought patterns.

In our attempt to address these deeper issues, we often try to solve problems head-on when, in fact, an indirect approach can be far more effective. Take how we raise kids, for example. Many educational systems focus on drilling information—reading, memorizing, and following rigid instructions—while neglecting the power of play. Yet play is fundamental to children’s well-being: it boosts creativity, encourages emotional regulation, and builds social skills. When we force kids to sit still and listen, we clash with their natural inclination to learn through hands-on exploration. If we trusted the power of play—letting kids experiment, imagine, and interact—knowledge and social competence would emerge organically because we’re wired to learn that way. Yes, subjects like math might require more structure, but focusing solely on direct teaching ignores the fact that children are biologically tuned to discover. Play isn’t just ‘fun’—it’s a critical pathway to healthy development. By embracing a more indirect, holistic approach, we honor that innate drive, rather than trying to force square pegs into round holes.

You see a similar pattern in dating and friendship today. We rely on apps designed purely for finding partners, instead of going out, meeting new people, and connecting over shared interests. That direct solution seemed convenient, but it’s contributed to a crisis in building genuine, long-lasting relationships.

Perhaps the most striking example of this concept is the environment. We tend to think pouring money into environmental causes will fix everything, yet we ignore how many of us are traumatized, disconnected, and not getting our own needs met. If we started truly socializing—making friends, opening up, and caring for one another—we’d naturally extend that care to the environment. That’s not to say we shouldn’t fund environmental initiatives, but it highlights the deeper truth: direct solutions often overlook the fundamental human element.

Back to my workout thought: What if people’s minds naturally shifted toward good thoughts? But I realized it’s not about forcing positivity; it’s about creating environments that genuinely fulfill our basic human needs. That shift alone can change our entire perception of reality.

Contrary to popular belief, we can’t fix all our problems internally. We need the right external support—friends, family, meaning, purpose—to truly maintain mental health. That’s why you can’t separate mental health from the social dimension. You can’t just take one day off and call it “healthy.” If you’ve spent twenty years lying to yourself and others, you might need to tear down the life you built on those lies and rebuild it. Otherwise, you’ll keep living in a distorted, skewed world.

Addictions—to alcohol, porn, drugs— are not about the substance itself. They’re solutions to deeper discomforts or shame about who we are. That shame is the real barrier, yet we almost never talk about it this way. We absolutely “should NOT be ashamed of ourselves.”

When we operate from an external locus of control—saying we’ll do things but never following through—we forget that we are defined by our actions, not our words. This isn’t just abstract theory; it’s my lived experience. Over the past year, I’ve talked with hundreds of people on similar journeys, and I see a collective rise in consciousness. We’re all rethinking how we view ourselves and the world around us. It feels like a second Renaissance; one that revives deep human connection and spirituality while integrating the timeless wisdom of Eastern philosophy and meditative practices.

Which brings me back to the question I had at the gym:

What if we rebuild society through the power of connection? What happens when this fundamental human need is truly met?

When connection is satisfied, everything changes. The past loses its grip on us because our environment is fresh and freeing. As we step into new experiences, our thought patterns shift, too. Every sight, sound, and smell can spark insights we’d never have otherwise; just like Einstein, who walked for inspiration. Newton would walk until an idea hit him and then freeze on the spot, caught in a revelation.

We can intentionally create more of these “aha” moments. By challenging ourselves daily—seeking real human connection, new environments, and novel experiences; we can trigger that mental clarity more often.

We’re on the brink of a new era:

A society that meets our human needs.

A culture that fosters connection instead of stifling it.

A world where every day feels alive again.

The next revolution won’t be digital.

It will be human.