Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about how isolated we tend to become when we’re ill.
Almost automatically, many of us fall into the belief:
“This is my problem. I need to deal with it on my own.”
But if we take a small step back, something else becomes visible.
In reality, we are all part of communities —
families, neighbourhoods, cities, countries, and ultimately a shared world.
And every community is strongest when its members are well.
Illness is never purely an individual matter.
It affects everyone who is connected to us.
Maybe that’s why difficult periods feel even heavier when they are paired with isolation.
Not only because of the pain itself —
but because we lose what could make it more bearable.
Connection doesn’t always heal.
But very often, it makes what’s heavy easier to carry.
And perhaps we only need to accept what is truly unchangeable —
not what fear makes appear larger than it really is.
In recent years, we’ve seen how powerful the combination of fear and isolation can be.
Especially when the intention to protect becomes disconnected from human connection.
At the same time, I’ve long been inspired by community patterns —
sometimes from distant cultures —
where hardship is met not with exclusion, but with holding.
Where the community doesn’t turn away,
but gathers around those who are weaker.
This may not work in every situation.
But the question still matters:
What heals more in the long run — isolation or connection?
For me, the Human Growth Model is also about this.
Not about ready-made solutions, but about direction.
About recognising that humans were not designed
for isolated survival —
nor for isolated flourishing.
And that perhaps what we need is not to become tougher —
but more connected. ❤️