On Being Seen
There is one thing you can do now. It’s simple, and it has been tested for 10 years.
When it comes to your job or profession, do you always feel seen?
Don’t lose the Question of the Week down below
I’m almost 53, and my mom still doesn’t understand what I do. The same happens with friends and other members of my family. And it’s not just that, when I speak about what I like, I know I’m being heard, but not necessarily listened to.
Since many of us started working from home, meeting people from around the world through remote calls, we’ve also started to feel tired of staying home and not being around others.
That “not being seen” is what I call loneliness. It is not the dramatic loneliness of being totally alone; it is a practical, individualistic consequence of our culture and the way our civilization is changing.
The image below is the symbol of community building. We use it as the logo for my coworking spaces, and it signifies the morning light that comes before the sun rises. That light symbolizes the energy of a new day, persistence, enthusiasm, drive — and it also represents the light that allows us to be seen, to experience belonging, community, and support.
In one way, we fear being unseen, disconnected, and not belonging — and that fear makes us focus even more on the outcome of our work, as if results could guarantee recognition and validation. But that pattern only postpones our need for community into an uncertain future.
For anyone who values freedom, independence, and creativity, feeling unseen or lonely is not about company. It is about being with others who speak our inner language.
This is the question of the week:
What can you do this week to feel more connected, more seen?
You can keep the answer for yourself, but try to answer it and keep it present during the week. Or, if you want, you can share it anonymously here.
On Friday, I will present the question again, together with some of the answers I get, so we can keep the conversation going and learn from each other.
For Lincoln Island members
(paid subscribers)
This week you can:
Book your free one-on-one call with me
Start a chat thread and discuss the answers to the weekly question
See the anonymous answers as soon as they arrive. I’ll post them directly in the Chat.
Do you like Alan Watts? I made a NotebookLM with the best sources I collected for years. I’m blown away by the conversations I had with it. The NotebookLM is already shared in our chat.
All the details and benefits are here:
I wish you a good day, time to reflect, time for yourself, and joyful moments to share with others.
Love,
Jose.
Getting people together (work, living place, etc.) even not needed makes a big difference. Two communities I've lived in tell the story. About the same size and not far from each other; one hardly has any community activities, the other multiple weekly get-together activities for the residents. The result, in the first one, neighbors still feel like somewhat strangers after years; in the second, you feel like knowing everyone in just weeks, and everyone is not only friendly but quick to help one another...
Funny... I AM 53. My family understands a little better than a few years ago, but still don't understand why we don't commute and sit in an office.