Among numerous topics in today's newspaper, two captured my attention, which is "Minister of Loneliness" and "Toxic Positivity". Perhaps, there is something in my system that excludes other topics as irrelevant and consider these two as significant.

Minister of Loneliness

I find it surprising for a civil government to create a public office aiming to solve the problem of human isolation. Nevertheless, Great Britain had already started it and Japan followed suit. Australia is also contemplating institutionalizing the same office.

I am not sure if loneliness and isolation are first-world problems. The writer, Dorothy Delgado Novicio, thinks that such a ministry is unnecessary in the Philippine context for Filipinos are generally cheerful, friendly, curious, and inquisitive even going to the point of meddling with others' matters.

And so I guess, for many Filipinos, considering social isolation and loneliness as a pervasive issue is not easy to understand. Nonetheless, this is a phenomenon in the UK that has been confirmed by research. Novicio even describes this social phenomenon as "the crisis of loneliness." And I think this is the reason why the minister of loneliness was made in England in the first place.

Based on studies, a significant portion of the British population, particularly the elderly, was experiencing feelings of loneliness and isolation, leading to various health problems and decreased overall well-being. For Novicio, loneliness even "crushes the soul" and is mentally destructive. Recognizing this urgent situation, the British government intends to coordinate efforts, raise awareness, and implement initiatives aimed at fostering social connections, community engagement, and emotional support. Novicio shares the same conviction about the importance of community engagement:

Among the most effective remedies focuses on community engagements, where people regardless of age and gender gather for workshops, poetry reading, book discussion, or any activity that will keep everyone talking and interacting.

Engagement in the Digital Community

Though we know the distinction between in-person conversation and online communication, I am thinking about how the availability of digital communities can help address this problem of isolation and loneliness. Here on Hive, we connect daily with someone. Though we don't know each other's real name and character, somehow a brief comment showing empathy helps provide the needed emotional support at the moment. That is why we need to be cautious in giving our comments. We might be helping someone with our kind words.

Again, here on Hive, we have seen during #HiveFest how Hivians with similar interests and experiences forge friendships and support. A digital community like Hive has served as a platform to initiate such a connection that might not have been possible in offline environments, especially for people with mobility or geographic limitations.

Through online interactions on Hive, individuals can receive emotional support, exchange ideas, and engage in meaningful conversations, helping to alleviate feelings of isolation. Additionally, I see a few communities here on Hive such as @FreeCompliments often encourage giving compliments, appreciation, and information, aiming to provide comfort to individuals passing through trying times in their personal journey in life. With this type of initiative, a digital community like Hive can help somehow ease the pain of loneliness and nurture a sense of social belonging in an increasingly interconnected world.

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Toxic Positivity

I apologize for the above photo. Though I agree with almost all of those posted words and phrases, I have no choice but to use them because I can't find the most appropriate photo to illustrate what I have in mind.

Moreover, I also don't want to pretend that there is a connection between the above topic and this one. As I said earlier, both topics simply caught my attention though I don't know how they are related to each other.

A positive attitude is very important in the workplace. However, it could also be a way of escape to deal with concrete problems. In such a case, positivity is out of place.

Francis J. Kong, the author of the article, "Being Nice Can Be Toxic," quotes Dr. Adam Grant at Wharton saying "that being 'nice' in terms of relationships in the workplace can be a contributory cause of company toxicity." I think I can confirm that observation based on my experience. When you work in an institution where BOT members are your friends, your fellow administrative officers are your batchmates and employees are your colleagues, it is not easy to correct them when they are underperforming at work. In this case, the relationship turns into an obstacle leading to complacency.

If the toxic situation in the workplace is not being dealt with In these settings, staff members could feel under pressure to repress their true emotions, which compromises their psychological safety. This can stifle good communication and impair problem-solving by masking real problems and encouraging a culture of denial. In such a culture, it is difficult to get genuine feedback, which is very important for continuous improvement. Employees' capacity to contribute the needed constructive criticism is eventually hampered by being nice.

Of course, "being nice" is different from "being kind". If the former evades confrontation for the sake of maintaining the appearance of harmony, the latter is not afraid to speak the truth to address a serious problem. The primary difference between the two is that the first refrains from action that would help improve the culture of the company and the second is determined to take the necessary steps to introduce change.

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Grace and peace!

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