This data on the 'new normal' puts a number on something we've felt quietly building for years: loneliness was never the real problem, we got confused about what real human connection is actually for. ⠀ Real relationships meet real needs between real people. ⠀ We swapped 'the realness' for systems built to capture attention and manufacture want, social media chief among them, and called the byproduct connection. ⠀ Personally, I find real fulfillment in showing up for elders and friends' parents, the way family does in cultures that still hold that value, and authentic relationship carries tension by design. Kids isolate because they've never seen adults sit in that tension and stay, no story ever showed them how. ⠀ Show them an example of healthy relationships that hold tension, repair, and ease, not just the ease alone. ⠀ If the broader culture doesn't align, your home is a culture too, and if home doesn't shift, remember to start with the inner work. Isn't that were it always begins?

@Nadene Canning I realized the last line may have been confusing. Yes, healthy and unhealthy patterns show up at three levels: community, family, and the inner space within each person. ⠀ Think Internal Family Systems, think inner development work. That's the level I was pointing to. ⠀ When the family level breaks down, the inner level becomes the priority. That's where the work always starts. The point I was making before was that society as now shifted our cultural value systems so that there is less focus on relationships encourages inner work.

@Montserrat de Muller Thank you for voicing something I've always believed. ⠀ We move toward what we expect, and that shapes how we meet anything new, including AI. ⠀ Most people default to asking what could go wrong, but that question is only half the field. Asking what could go right deserves equal weight. ⠀ If we believe we have agency, we have real influence over who we become as we use these tools. Used well, AI can make us more human, not less.

@Nadene Canning I love words, yet we must remember, people hold different meanings for a word. We could be saying the same 'word', yet they will always hold incomplete 'perfect match' of meaning in another person's understanding. That said, for me 'integrity' means 'wholeness', 'completeness' or 'put together'. It's when you're actions match your belief and words within yourself. The tricky things about integrity and ethics as you described it, as in being 'right', different people value 'right' differently. Living into the values of others reminds me of the parable "The Man, the Boy, and the Donkey". (Written below) Two things I take from your comment: 1. If you're authentic or in integrity, don't be a jerk. Or put in the affirmative act for the well-being of others—ALWAYS. 2. When we look at others' 'integrity', assume positive intent as they may hold different values. Or better yet, judge not. Yet be in integrity with yourself so much so, you can stand blameless in your actions within yourself, even if others judge you from their different value system. <story start>An old man and his young son set out for market with their donkey, planning to sell it. - They start walking alongside the donkey. Passers-by scoff: "What fools! Why do they have a donkey if not to ride it?" - So the man puts the boy on the donkey's back. Soon people criticize: "Look at that disrespectful child riding while his poor old father walks!" - Embarrassed, the man swaps places — now he rides while the boy walks. Others shake their heads: "What a shame! That strong man rides while the tired little boy trudges along." - Feeling pressured again, the man decides they should both ride the donkey. People immediately complain: "How cruel! They're overloading that poor animal — they'll break its back!" - Finally, in total frustration and trying to satisfy every critic, they get off, tie the donkey's legs together, find a pole, and carry the donkey on their shoulders like a trophy.

@Nadene Canning now that gets into the meaning of 'blame' and 'responsible'. 😁 For me 'blame' focuses on being at fault related to judgment. 'Responsible' acknowledges the mistake, yet focuses on the ability and expectation to correct mistakes. Thanks for helping me gain perspective on this in the conversation.

🙌 two hands raised! 😁 Interested. Writing helps us organize our thinking and cope with the stressors of life. This is why I write and create the spaces for parents and adolescents to 'organize their thoughts' in stories.

Thank you all for who voted!

@Nadene Canning For sure! Our publish date is September 25th but there will updates before then. The story and illustrations is continuing to be refined based on feedback. I'm excited for what we have to share.