Why We Need Human To Human Connection More Than Ever
- janetdulsky
- Nov 16, 2015
- 2 min read
When I read about the shootings in Paris on Friday, my heart broke and I wept. After spending my junior year in college studying in Paris, the city became my favorite in the entire world so this hit close to home for me. My heart goes out to those in the City of Light who lost their lives, were hurt or lost friends or loved ones. Their lives are forever changed. Yet, they should know that the world mourns with them and stands in solidarity against those who want to spread fear and hate.
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
-- Martin Luther King Jr.
How then do we bring light into the darkness at times like this? How do we find love when our hearts are broken? Through human to human connection. It is often in the aftermath of a horrible event like this when the power of even simple connections between people is most evident. Witness Parisians who offered support to those trying to find refuge after the attacks. Taxi drivers who offered free rides to those trying to get home after all public transportation was shut down. And, people who opened their homes to strangers who were stranded. These acts, and many others we will never know about, buoy my heart with hope.
As a marketer, I talk a lot about ways businesses can build long term relationships with their customers. Relationships aren’t built with nameless, faceless entities. Relationships begin with a conversation, a conversation between two people, and build from there. The power of conversations is that they open our eyes to others. We begin to see, really see each other. Not as a member of a group or a company or a country or a religion, but as a real human being. And, when we really see another person, we instinctively recognize our shared humanity and that is what will allow us to beat back the dark and the hate.
Despite the daily horrors in our world, I truly believe in the goodness of humanity.
So let us remember those innocents who were hurt or killed in Paris on Friday and honor them by making connections with others, by really seeing others' humanity, both in our work and personal lives. That is how we will save the world as we know it.
Vive la France!
As published on Linkedin.
Photo by Stephen Lam/Reuters
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