CONNECTION With Self

Recent science, as well as centuries of poets, philosophers, and spiritual teachers espouse that a loving connection with one’s own mind, body, and spirit are central to being a fully alive human.

PHYSIOLOGICAL NEEDS

• Movement - at least 30 min/day

• Nutrition - we are what we eat

• Sunlight - 20-30 min/day

• Sleep - 7-9 hrs/day for adults

• Water - Half your bodyweight in ounces

• Downtime - Recommended for most people: a 17 min break after every 52 min of work (source); for highly sensitive people: 2 hrs/day, 1 week/month, 1 month/year (source), further reading

• Absence of toxins

PSYCHOLOGICAL NEEDS

Beyond our most basic physiological needs, we need things like intellectual stimulation, creative expression, moments of flow, spiritual connection, and achievement. Perhaps most significantly, we need to feel connected to who we are as unique individuals and that we are living out who we were meant to be.

A Camelot kind of place will always have ample opportunity for solitude, toxin-free food & built environments, & opportunity for self-expression to highlight a few critical components in the sheltering the individual.

CONNECTION WITH Others

Major studies suggest quality connection with other people (as opposed to isolation) is the most critical component of thriving individuals and communities.

The Harvard Study for Adult Development has tracked 700+ people 80 years asking: what makes people healthy & happy? The director, in the TED Talk below, concludes: “The clearest message we get from this study: good relationships keep us healthier and happier. Period.” And, “loneliness kills.”

Lissa Rankin’s talk also cites loneliness as the greatest risk factor to human health. Blue Zones, she reports, are places with an unusual number of people living more than 100 years. The most distinct trait of these places? Tight-knit, intergenerational community.

Social isolation, she explains, causes the limbic/nervous system to go into a prolonged threat response that wears down the body & brain & our bodies can only heal themselves when in a relaxation state. She shares research suggesting air pollution increases the risk of mortality by 6%, obesity by 23%, alcohol abuse by 37%, and loneliness by 45%. Loneliness is as dangerous for your health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Rankin ultimately offers, “Loneliness is the siren of our soul, calling us back home to one another.”

Compassion and empathy for ourselves comes from deep exposure to others who are like us; compassion and empathy for others comes from deep exposure to others who are not like us.

Pushing buildings together not only preserves natural land, but also arguably makes people live longer by facilitating community.

CONNECTION WITH The Natural World

Most of us know that it feels good to be in nature and scientists have started working to understand the why and how. Studies show people report 15% higher scores of wellbeing and creativity when connected to nature. (source) Japan and Korea have been leading the way in a practice they call forest bathing that has been proven to reduce stress, improve mood, and even fight off cancer. (source) Read more about the positive impact of being in nature here.

biophilic design

"Biophilia is humankind’s innate biological connection with nature. It helps explain why crackling fires and crashing waves captivate us; why a garden view can enhance our creativity; why shadows and heights instill fascination and fear; and why animal companionship and strolling through a park have restorative, healing effects. Biophilia may also help explain why some urban parks and buildings are preferred over others. ...Biophilic design can reduce stress, improve cognitive function and creativity, improve our well-being and expedite healing." — Bill Browning

Below are some of the most relevant of the 70+ qualities of settings and environments studies have shown to positively effect people's sense of well-being. These characteristics are thought to be hardwired into our preferences over millennia of evolution and survival.

It’s almost like…we were designed to operate in minimally processed nature. :)

Love over Fear

“There are only two emotions: love and fear. All positive emotions come from love, all negative emotions from fear. From love flows happiness, contentment, peace, and joy. From fear comes anger, hate, anxiety & guilt.” — Elisabeth Kubler Ros

Flourishing can be boiled down to perceiving and acting in love (connection and oneness) rather than perceiving and acting in fear (separation and violence) while maintaining a healthy balance of the autonomy of the individual with health of the other or whole.

To dive deeper, read up on Martin Luther King Jr.’s Beloved Community & Charles Eisenstein’s work starting with The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know is Possible.

Summary

A Camelot kind of place will consider the flourishing of it’s human inhabitants (a part that ultimately measures the whole) as one of the highest goals and design everything from a macro, community level, to a micro, individual level to reverse engineer flourishing. Because we are what we measure, the flourishing of the people could be the highest metric to work from.