“Be Connected, Isolation is Sickness” – Russell Simmons

Do you ever read someones tweet and wish they would explain it?  Why did they write it and where were they coming from and what are they trying to tell me?  With me, leaving the misunderstood to my own interpretation could be a bit dangerous.  I tend to trust the writers perspective to quickly.  That is why I immediatedly retweeted this.  But, days later I am looking at this quote again and then start wondered why it made me stop and pause in the first place.  I shoot first, then looked later.  Now, that I have had a chance look, I don’t necessary agree with what Mr. Simmons was saying.  

Being connected is great.  Being connected to friends, family, the world in general is wonderful.  It make us feel alive and part of something greater.  Makes us feel like we belong and that others are going through the same thing we are going through and that is great, I agree.  But, I don’t necessarily agree that isolation is sickness.  Connected (good) versus isolation (bad).  You can live in a world connected with others or you can be by your self.  Those are the only two options.  I don’t believe that. There has to be more to life then just that.  Life is not that simple and you don’t just have those two choices and at times there isn’t a choice at all.  Life puts you in situations and circumstances and it is up to you do deal with them the best way you know how. 

Like, at this moment, I am isolated.  I am alone in my room, writing this post. I am in my own head and putting out my own thoughts just to get them out of my head.  I am not doing this to share with an audience or to be “connected.”  I do it because, this is what I always do.  I have stuff to say and I have to speak, but I speak to no one.  I don’t have anyone in my life that I can share this stuff with.  I am isolated.  

But, in my isolation, I am creative.  My creativity is energizing.   My isolation is granting me permission to indulge in my passion.  Indulge without consequence or explanation.  My isolation is affording me the opportunity to get somewhere better in my mind, do something better with my heart and spirit, and be something better then what I am.  It is not bad, it is not good, it is just the way it is right now and how it has to be in order for me to change and grow.  

Now, you could argue that I am not isolated because I am writing to potentially billions of people on the internet.  And, someone is readying it and identifying with me, so in that sense, I am not isolated.  I am very much connected.  (Come on now, no one is readying my blog. But, yet, here I am. Putting it out there anyway.)  People are readying it and yes, I hope they can related and hope that they get something out of what I say and it makes them feel better and feel more connected.    

But, really what I am trying to say is that in life you are going to go through things.  You have to. That is what life is. Experiencing things.  Good things and bad things and things that have to identifying characteristics at all.   Some times you are going to be connected to people, ideas, places and you are going to belong.  And, some times you are not.  

But, in those time that you are not and you are able to turn those times into periods of growth in your life, then you are living during those times too.  So, don’t look down on those moments, embrace them and see what comes out of them.  You might be surprise.