{"id":282,"date":"2024-09-01T18:35:41","date_gmt":"2024-09-01T18:35:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crinklefilms.ie\/blogenglish\/?p=282"},"modified":"2026-01-10T16:58:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-10T16:58:13","slug":"epilogue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crinklefilms.ie\/blogenglish\/index.php\/2024\/09\/01\/epilogue\/","title":{"rendered":"Blog 22: Epilogue"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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While I was compiling this blog series, we as a global population have left a pandemic behind us, triggered by the Covid 19 virus, and are continuing to experience the threat of the effects of climate change, which are becoming more apparent day by day. The war in the Ukraine and the war in Gaza have been added to the many conflicts around the world. At the same time, right-wing extremist movements are continuing to come to the fore in Germany as well as in other European and non-European countries.\u00a0Climate change and its effects in particular make it clear how interconnected we are as global citizens and that we all sit together in the same boat and must take responsibility for each other and for our natural environment if we want to survive this journey well.\u00a0The new conflicts in Ukraine and in Gaza both promote a fear-based perspective that is being exploited by pro-armament politicians and the media to propagate the need for deterrence, while diplomatic solutions are not sufficiently explored.\u00a0In my opinion, the rise of right-wing extremism in Germany is, among other things, a sign that the mental and emotional origins of German National Socialism have not yet been sufficiently recognized, acknowledged and processed. Only an appreciation of the important role that an emotional, social and societal sense of connection plays in this context and a realisation of the urgent need to remedy any loss of such a connection should it occur, can prevent violence in the future. Marshall Rosenberg describes a non-violent situation as one in which the needs of all those involved have been taken into account. One of the basic human needs is the need for safety, and the feeling of social integration is, as we have seen, particularly crucial to this need. Adolf Hitler is said to have announced on the radio that he would give a brown shirt to everyone who did not have a shirt. As we know, there were many at the time who gladly accepted this offer. If we want to make sure this dark part of German history does not repeat itself, then we need to ensure that everyone has a shirt, that is, a sense of belonging, and that brown shirts are not seen as an attractive alternative.\u00a0The fact that the importance of social bonds and relationships is gaining increasing recognition is also evident in the emergence of new fields of study such as ‘Interpersonal Neurobiology’ (Siegel 2012, Badenoch 2008), ‘Social Neurology’ (Cacioppo & Berntson et al 2002), ‘Affective Neurology’ (Panksepp 1998, 2004) and ‘Sociophysiology’ (Adler, 2002). Ralph Adolphs, Professor of Psychology, Neuroscience and Biology, summarizes this development as follows:\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWe are an intensely social species–it has been argued that our social nature defines what makes us human, what makes us conscious or what gave us our large brains. As a new field, the social brain sciences are probing the neural underpinnings of social behaviour and have produced a banquet of data that are both tantalizing and deeply puzzling. We are finding new links between emotion and reason, between action and perception, and between representations of other people and ourselves. No less important are the links that are also being established across disciplines to understand social behaviour, as neuroscientists, social psychologists, anthropologists, ethologists and philosophers forge new collaborations\u201d<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 (Adolphs 2003)<\/em>\u00a0The importance of social relationships is also expressed by the Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies Network. As an association of academics from various disciplines who are particularly concerned with human dignity and the prevention of any form of humiliation, the network aims to contribute to a large-scale, worldwide paradigm shift that moves our world towards a more dignified life for all. The Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies group is anchored worldwide and has four agendas:\u00a01. Building a global network, including annual conferences to mutually enrich, support and generate ideas that fertilize research, education and intervention agendas\u00a02. Research to investigate and better understand the phenomenon of humiliation\u00a03. Education to disseminate research results\u00a04. Intervention to prevent and heal humiliation<\/p>

(The Human DHS Team, no date)<\/p>

In addition, neurobiological studies are increasing that confirm both the central importance of social relationships and our interconnectedness. Marco Iacoboni, a neurobiologist who was one of the first to study the phenomenon of mirror neurons, writes:<\/p>

\u201cWe empathize effortlessly and automatically with each other because evolution has selected neural systems that blend self and other\u2019s actions, intentions, and emotions. The more we learn about the neural mechanisms [processes] of mirroring, the more we realize that the distinction between self and other may be almost fictitious in many cases. We have created the self-other distinction in our explicit discourse, along with many other constructs that divide us. Our neurobiology, in contrast, puts us \u2018within each other\u2019\u201d<\/em><\/p>

(Iacoboni 2014)<\/em><\/p>

\u00a0<\/em>Since this blog series is based on a doctoral thesis, I have limited myself to a scientific perspective here. The realization that we as humans are inseparably connected to one another and to our natural environment and that this awareness is the prerequisite for peaceful coexistence and survival is not new. A similar message is and has been propagated by spiritual teachers such as Mooji, Thich Nhat Hanh and Eckhardt Tolle (to name just a few).<\/p>

If we recognize and acknowledge that we are designed to have a close but also flexible relationship with ourselves and our social and natural environment that allows for a fluent and constantly changing existence, we can move towards a life without violence. Perhaps then, behavioral structures such as a sedentary life and entrenched ideas such as belonging to a nation will change and ways of thinking and being will develop that are more in line with our true nature.<\/p>

As is often the case, in order to achieve change, we must start with ourselves and correct all behaviors and ways of thinking that prevent us from ‘being in the flow’ and ‘being in touch with ourselves and others’. This includes recognizing, acknowledging and processing our traumas, as well as recognizing and correcting our destructive cultural learning, for which the principles of non-violent communication can be a method.<\/p>

Another opportunity for constructive change lies in early childhood education, as the brains of unborn babies, infants and toddlers develop particularly quickly and experiences during this time are therefore especially formative. Direct physical contact through carrying and breastfeeding can provide infants and toddlers with a feeling of safety and social connection that will become an important basis for later social behavior and experience.<\/p>

While the pandemic has directed our focus to digital interaction and communication and AI is playing an increasingly important role in western societies, it is important that we do not over-estimate the value of electronic media and do not lose sight of the need for direct experience and face to face personal contact, which is especially relevant for children and young people.<\/p>

We must not forget that it is precisely our ability to build interpersonal relationships through which we practice cooperation and social learning that has enabled us as a human species to deal with difficult situations, to find solutions and to survive together.<\/p>

\"\"Young women in a park<\/p>

(The).. \u201cpessimistic gaze that separates humans from one another by highlighting evil and by emphasizing differences misses an important underlying unity and overlooks our common humanity. The project of evolutionary sociology in which we have been engaged reveals that humans everywhere are pre-wired to make a particular kind of society- one full of love, friendship, co-operation and learning.\u201d\u00a0 (Christakis, 2019)<\/em><\/p>

Dealing with our own traumas and the traumas of our immediate social and wider societal environment can make us aware that every experience, no matter how negative it originally was, can be processed and then has the potential to contribute to a greater self-understanding and thus to a better understanding of others, thereby promoting a more peaceful coexistence. Interpersonal relationships will always play a key role in this context.<\/p>

\"\"Festival Teilnehmer<\/p>

\u201cPlacing our individual views into a social perspective, knowing our limitations, biases and prejudices, and appreciating the importance of human relationships have the potential to lead us to a more loving world\u201d<\/em><\/p>

(Cozolino, 2014)<\/em><\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

Bibliography<\/p>

Adler, H.M (2002) \u201aThe sociophysiology of caring in the doctor-patient relationship\u2018 in GEN INTERN MED<\/em>\u00a017, P:883\u2013890. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1046\/j.1525-1497.2002.10640.x<\/p>

Adolphs, R (2003), Cognitive Neuroscience of Human Social Behavior\u2019 in Nature Reviews Neuroscience, <\/em>Vol. 4 P165-178. https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/12612630\/<\/a><\/p>

Badenoch, B. (2008) Being a Brain-Wise Therapist: A practical Guide to Interpersonal Neurobiology.<\/em> New York: Norton & Company.<\/p>

Cacioppo, J. T., Berntson, G. G., Adolphs, R., Carter, C. S., Davidson, R. J., McClintock, M. K., McEwen, B. S., Meaney, M. J., Schacter, D. L., Sternberg, E. M., Suomi, S. S., & Taylor, S. E. (Eds.). (2002).\u00a0Foundations in social neuroscience.<\/em>\u00a0MIT Press.<\/p>

Christakis, N. A. (2019) Blueprint, The Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society .<\/em> New York: Little, Brown Spark.<\/p>

Cozolino, L. (2014) The Neuroscience of Human Relationships<\/em>. New York: Norton & Company.<\/p>

Iacobini, M.(2014) \u2018Within Each other: Neural Mechanisms for Empathy in the Primate Brain\u2019, in Empathy: Philosophical and Psychological Perspectives,<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>Goldie P. and Coplan A. (Eds) P: 45-58. Oxford: Oxford UP.<\/p>

Lennon, J. (1971) Imagine<\/em>, song lyrics. Source:\u00a0LyricFind<\/a><\/p>

Imagine lyrics \u00a9 Budde Music France, CONSALAD CO., Ltd, Downtown Music Publishing, Sentric Music, Sony\/ATV Music Publishing LLC, TuneCore Inc.<\/p>

Panksepp, J. (2004) Affective Neuroscience: The Foundations of Human and Animal Emotions<\/em><\/p>

Oxford: Oxford UP.<\/p>

Siegel, D.S. (2012) Pocket Guide to Interpersonal Neurobiology. <\/em>New York: Norton & Company.<\/p>

(Das HumanDHS Team, kein Datum)<\/p>

https:\/\/www.humiliationstudies.org\/whoweare\/whoweare.php<\/p>

\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>

Abbildungen<\/p>