You can read my manifesto below;  I have a dream to make the world a better place to be. A better place to be born into, to grow up in, to grow old in. A better place to live a life, a whole life, from our first breath to our last.  My dream is to create a space where connection, its value and its impact on our sense of self, our sense of belonging, and our overall sense of wellbeing, is recognised, promoted and celebrated.  To build a community of people, of all ages, who want to feel more connected. A community of people who want to feel seen and valued, and who want to see and value others.  As our world and the societies we live in have developed, we have become more independent, more insular, more isolated and more lonely. This idea of independence has changed our way of living, to a way where we spend more time looking in than looking out. More time concerned with our own journey, where we are and where we want to get to. Rather than considering those around us, and not just those in our immediate social circles but people who live alongside us in our communities. Those we pass on the street or in a shop, a neighbour we may wave to on our way in or out, neighbour’s who may go unseen because they rarely or no longer leave their homes, those who live in care homes.  Our lives have become busy, filled to the brim with things we feel we have to do, from the moment we wake until the moment we climb back into bed and close our eyes. We go through the motions of our daily lives often without pausing, without looking up.  How connected do we feel to ourselves, our loved ones, our communities and the wider world around us?  Do we make space for connection in our lives? Where does it sit on our list of priorities? Whose responsibility is it to care about connection?   It’s ours, individually and collectively because we are human. We are social creatures, designed to live alongside each other and together. We are designed to connect. Our need for connection is fundamental to our being, our wellbeing. It’s as fundamental as eating and breathing. Our need for connection begins when we are born, in the initial bonds that are formed with our primary caregivers, often our parents. Connections continue throughout our lives, contributing to the way we see ourselves and the wider world around us, creating a safety net from which we can step forward into the world, to explore and find our own way. This need deep inside lasts a lifetime, it doesn’t diminish with age.  Perhaps, we think we have everything we need in our lives, perhaps some of us are lucky enough to have just that. But many of us, I fear, are lonely. Many of us do not have the amount of connection we need. We may mask our loneliness well, filling our time with being busy, working hard for ourselves, for our families. Working hard for that next thing. The things that morph into something else the moment we get them. Often in striving for these things, we lose sight of what we need. We become tired and stressed and things we know are good for us, like connection, exercise and nutrition, go out the window. Our society is struggling, our physical and mental health is struggling.  Perhaps it’s time to re-evaluate. To consider words like interdependence and interconnectedness. To think about where these words come into play in our lives. Possibly, in more areas than we realise. To think about how we get our food, how we came to have a roof over our heads, how we earn money to pay for these things. To think about the people in our lives and how they have played a part in who we are today.  Can we really survive on our own, totally independent of others? Or do we need connections to survive?  I would argue that we need connections to survive and to thrive.  I would argue that we all have a part to play, that we all have a gift and that gift is to be human.  We learn, we grow, we change, We show up, we speak out, we inspire, We love, we care, we nurture, We feel many different emotions in many different times and places,  We are who we are,  Individual, unique,  Yet we live together as one.  One race,  The human race. Together on this earth, we share this life,  We share space and time,  We share stories and experiences,  We share moments both special and mundane.  We witness the lives of others, and in turn, they witness ours,  These connections ground us, they give us roots from which to grow,  They give our lives meaning and purpose,  They are life.  We all have a gift,  That gift is to be human.