Illustration created by AI
I stumbled across this verb in the imperative mood: Connect!
It was a Christmas commercial trying to sell me something so important that I don’t even remember what it was.
The command, so emphatic, sounded mechanical and even harsh.
I associated it with plugs, computers, electromagnetic waves, cell phones, codes—in short, with the technology that surrounds us, without which it’s almost impossible to survive.
But as often happens to me, I kept thinking about a less authoritarian meaning of the verb “connect.”
Ultimately, it’s a voice that calls for establishing bonds.
Connect, in its kindest sense, means to unite, to communicate, to link so that “something” can flow.
Seen this way, that command, “Connect!”, softened for me, but at the same time, it seemed more complex.
By association of ideas, the concept of connections recalled other words like “empathy” (the ability to identify with the feelings of others) or “compassion” (sharing the pain of others, or in simpler terms, putting yourself in their shoes), other ways to flow and create genuine bonds with those around us.
In the end, if I were to use the imperative of the advertisement in question, whatever it was they wanted to sell, I would add:
“Connect” with a hug, with a kind gesture, with a word of encouragement.
“Connect” with the tenderness of children.
“Connect” with yourself and your dreams.
Maybe that way I would remember what they were trying to sell me, and I might even have bought it.
To conclude, and please forgive the repetition, I’m going to “connect” with gratitude toward my colleagues at Atril and our wonderful readers for welcoming us into their homes each week.
Finally, I wish we all receive the Spirit of Christmas that invites us these days, and again, please excuse the repetition, to “connect” with those values that, being so overused, sometimes seem forgotten: peace, love, unity…
Let’s connect!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
