Defined By the Everyday

Sitting on Beltway traffic in Washington DC is the worst part of my day. Usually I listen to music which, for me, helps pass the two hour commute. However, on this particular day I was not in the mood to re-listen to the same five tunes that every DJ had been playing all week. So I hesitantly changed the station to talk radio and was captivated by a soft spoken older gentleman with a British accent.

He said, "The human consciousness cannot interpret stimuli that is constant."

It took me a minute to fully contemplate what he meant. He went on to exemplify his theory by explaining that our heart pumps blood through us constantly; we breathe oxygen in and out; and we are continually digesting our food. But we never recognize any of this. We don't have to ponder it or try to interpret it because it just is--just as a tree grows in our backyard. We do not sit and think, "How is that tree growing? How many leaves does it have compared to last year or when will new buds bloom? How is it chemically altering the carbon dioxide and sunlight it pulls from the environment to sustain itself?"

We only truly recognize those things that disrupt the constant, which is why we may fear or be more affected by change. We never have to work at accepting that which always is, but we continually have a need to interpret change. It is only when something restricts our breathing that we recognize we were ever breathing in the first place; and it is only when a fire destroys a tree that we understand how long it has actually been growing.

The moral of his thesis was that we should entertain the idea of thinking differently. Instead of only recognizing the disruption or the change, we should strive to recognize the constant. Recognize that your family is healthy, before someone falls ill. Understand your lover's idiosyncrasies, before you part ways. Enjoy your two hour commute, before you have no job to drive to.

We are individuals who are often defined by experiences that fall outside the constant. Instead let us be individuals that are defined by the everyday. A butterfly that lands on a magnolia may seem as insignificant as some of our choices or routines, but in reality these constants are just as important as that which disrupts them.

Do Your FingerTips Have Healing Powers

Aids, mental illness, erectile dysfunction, Leprosy–all of these diagnoses along with many others are still extremely stigmatized; and amidst the lack of universal support our community continues to suffer from their ailments. Even cancer, though activism is highly visible in the United States, remains stigmatized in many other countries.

Neighbors and friends believe the illnesses were brought on by the patients themselves. Misguidance and a lack of information cause fear and disregard among the general population. We tend to avoid the problem because we don’t understand it or we disassociate ourselves because we are afraid of what others may think if we support those who have been diagnosed. The patients themselves refuse to seek or ask for the help they need because they are afraid of the consequences. Many go untreated, ailments get worse, and some die as a result of insufficient treatment and ultimately a lack of friendly consideration or encouragement.

Through today’s technology—social media included—we have the ability to feed communities the truth, inform patients that the disease is not their fault, and help neighbors and friends realize that with greater support we may be able to find solutions. Ironically, the existing stigma impedes our desire to read articles about dysfunction or “like” a mental health campaign on Facebook.

In today’s social media revolution we are able to assist the most vulnerable populations. But how are we to utilize this new media to change existing behavior, reduce stigma, and disseminate accurate and useful health information around the world?

On Tuesday, February 19th, Population Services In International PSA will host a workshop dedicated to the usefulness of social media in global health programming. Remember there are ways in which we can all help. Don’t be afraid to use the technology you have at your fingertips to be a part of a global change.

This Blog was originally posted at Social Media Week--A professional conference in Washington DC. Please visit there website for additional blogs concerning the power of media networking. http://socialmediaweek.org/washingtondc/