The real connection between us — Jennifer L. Phillips, Ph.D.

Each time I go on social media, my heart aches. There is so much hurting, and it’s hard to know how to respond. I don’t want to be silent; nor do I want to add noise. But I do want to help, if I can. The point is (and I know you know): it’s fraught.

So, gently, I want to call everyone, from Zuckerberg on down to me, into more care with these technologies. When I say "care,” I’m pointing beyond vigilance or caution. I mean intentionality and sensitivity, with an endgame of actual, embodied caring—for ourselves, for neighbors near and far, and for the world.

How to follow this star is for you to decide. Whether it means more or less screen time, more talking, more listening, more work, more rest, or something else will depend on your gifts, your needs, and your context. This is not a prescription, but an invitation.

Let’s embrace compassion and our common humanity as the real connection between us. We’re all figuring this out—and we must. One day, one crisis, one login at a time.

Inspired by recent readings: L.M. Sacasas’s “Laughter in Dark Times” makes a helpful distinction between standing sentinel and bearing witness and proposes “a kind of laughing courage.” Gavin Milne’s “Creative Engagement in an Imperfect World” is a grounding reflection on impermanence, doing, and not-doing. And, NPR’s public editor Kelly McBride addresses feedback and gives background on wartime journalism in her latest newsletter.

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