Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience

Personalization: When we experience despair and hopelessness, we often believe that we are the problem and forget to think about larger issues and context. Self-blame and criticism don’t lead to increased hopefulness;

Language shows us that naming an experience doesn’t give the experience more power, it gives us the power of understanding and meaning.

Sadness moves the individual “us” toward the collective “us.”

We experience hope when: We have the ability to set realistic goals (I know where I want to go). We are able to figure out how to achieve those goals, including the ability to stay flexible and develop alternative pathways (I know how to get there, I’m persistent, and I can tolerate disappointment and try new paths again and again). We have agency—

Forgas goes on to explain, “Evolutionary theory suggests that we should embrace all of our emotions, as each has an important role to play under the right circumstances. So, though you may seek ways to increase happiness, don’t haphazardly push away your sadness. No doubt, it’s there for good reason.”

When I was growing up, there was a lot of unpredictable behavior and intense emotion in our home. There was intense love and there was intense rage. There was intense laughter and intense hurt. But even the good times were dicey, because they could turn in an instant.

The paradox is one of our most valuable spiritual possessions…only the paradox comes anywhere near to comprehending the fullness of life. — CARL JUNG

This is such a powerful example of how disconnection from another person can create disconnection within ourselves.

Interest is a cognitive openness to engaging with a topic or experience. Curiosity is recognizing a gap in our knowledge about something that interests us, and becoming emotionally and cognitively invested in closing that gap through exploration and learning. Curiosity often starts with interest and can range from mild curiosity to passionate inves