Recently, I have been reacquainted with just how strong our need for connection is. It is one of the most powerful driver’s of performance and well-being. From an evolutionary perspective, we need to be connected to other people in order to ensure our survival. We are social animals that have a powerful, primal instinct that fuels the feeling that connection is safe and disconnection or alienation is dangerous. Because this is a primitive instinct we may not always give it a great deal of conscious thought, despite the fact that it influences everything we do and feel.

I recently saw the movie, “Invictus,” with Morgan Freeman portraying Nelson Mandela. I loved the film overall, but what most moved me was the way that the character of Nelson Mandela treated people. We all are familiar with his super human efforts to promote peace, racial equality, and unity, as well as his huge capacity for forgiveness. However, it was something much more subtle that inspired me to create a ritual after watching the film.