Contagious

Lots of us are thinking this word these days. “Is that cough contagious” “Did you wash your hands?”

I’ve been reading an interesting study about some research that shows more things are contagious than we may have realized. Emotions surrounding pain and suffering really do spread to care-givers and other members of the community.

Even loneliness can infect others and can become a prevalent feeling within a group. That apparent contradiction has apparently been proven by real scientific method and confirmed by separate studies. In fact, say these scientists, loneliness can spread—like a virus!

When someone is ill or unconscious or dies, the body of the community is affected and those members need to be supported and uplifted and helped to deal with these contagious responses. The distress of one registers in the emotions, even the bodies of care-givers, even just observers. Imagine!

There is good news here as well! Healing is also communal. We may have always known this as we’ve been part of the interpersonal web of concern, prayer, listening, sharing, submitting that surrounds those with needs.

Authors of the “loneliness study” (You can read about it here )say how important it is to tend to the needs of the most marginalized and not to forget the truths we, as a community, have always known from our most ancient spiritual practices.

And we in the What’s the Good Word community can be affirmed in our belief that good stuff too is contagious!