Have you ever felt invisible?
There’s the age-old philosophical question of “If a tree falls in the forest, does it make a sound?” I used to think this was a stupid question (of course it does!!) Just because no one is around to hear it, we still KNOW it makes a sound–doesn’t it?
Several times in recent weeks I’ve heard someone say something to the effect that “we need to be witnessed in order to exist.” Obviously, on a physical level, this isn’t accurate. I am definitely physically here on this earth.
But in that deeper, more meaningful place of my soul, I can feel the truth.
There’s more to existence than being physically present.
As humans wired for connection and relationship, if we don’t feel seen, heard or known, we believe we don’t matter–insignificant globs of molecules that have no worth.
We’re in a connection crisis today that has been exacerbated by the pandemic. Even before COVID, it had already been established that loneliness was a bigger risk factor than smoking or obesity. We’ve contracted our lives, our minds, our hearts to protect ourselves and have become more isolated and less resilient than ever.
How do we reverse this trend?
To know that we matter, we need to be seen, heard, known.
This requires a willingness to look beyond behavior and cultivate empathy–even for (maybe especially for) those you disagree with. Look beyond their hurt (or yours), beyond the annoyance, beyond the effect on you, and truly see the human being behind it all.
Warning: It might be scary or produce some anxiety.
I invite you to choose courage over comfort.
It may not feel like it’s worth the effort the first time. Or even the second. But with practice, you will see and they will feel seen. When they feel seen, they’ll feel like they matter. In the meantime, you’ll feel better about yourself, too, because you’ll have contributed to the world in a meaningful way.
The cure for invisibility starts with seeing someone else.
Who will you communicate that you see, hear or know them today?