Vivek H. Murthy, former United States Surgeon General (2014-2017) said, “Mental health is the defining health issue of our time.”  He went on to say that loneliness is now an epidemic in the United States.

Not only was he correct, but I loneliness and mental health have only gotten worse.

My breath caught in my chest when I read this sentence by New York Times columnist David French:

Parents today “… are less concerned about sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll (the vices of generations past) than they are about their kids’ anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation.”  David French, “The Light That Changed My Life”, appearing in The New York Times, April 4, 2026. 

Parents worry about their kids. But the shift that French notes is a move from the aliveness of life to the very real possibility of death among our young generation. Their hope has died, their bodies follow. We are killing our environment, we are killing our children, we are killing one another. 

We are increasingly isolated from one another, and perceive threats all around. If someone disagrees with us, we respond with anger, as if our power to control is threatened. At times, the anger becomes violent. It is no accident that our country is at war, that the war is a complex maze of competing forces. 

Christians around the world celebrate Easter, which is set aside not only as a special day but as a season that extends 40 days.  Easter celebrates what is called the Resurrection of Christ, a mysterious return from death, though in a different form. I remember as a child being confused less about Easter than about why Jesus was killed in the first place. It’s taken me a long time to get it, to believe the truth of humanity. Jesus was killed because he challenged the prevailing political and religious authorities. That threat to authoritarian power was intolerable, so the leaders killed Jesus.

Not much has changed.

Theologian and writer John Philip Newell introduces Celtic spirituality to modern audiences. The Celts were a huge thorn among the Roman authorities in early Christianity. Newell writes:

“Roman historians speak of the Celts with perplexity when they describe them as worshipping without temples. This is because the Celts considered the forests and the mountains to be their temples. With even greater perplexity, Roman authors also describe them as viewing the feminine as sacred… Celtic teachers posed an enormous threat to early Western Christianity which viewed the sacred as separate from the ordinary rather than at the very heart of it.”  (John Philip Newell, Sacred Earth, Sacred Soul: Celtic Wisdom for Reawakening to What Our Souls Know and Healing the World, pages 7-8)

Newell puts our fragmented world of today in a global context:

“This is what we are living in the midst of today, a planet struggling to breathe….  a tragic breaking apart of our interrelationship, the failure of not remembering the sacred in one another.”  (Newell, page 11)

He writes to re-awaken in us the deep connection that we share, connection that brings out the very best of us. We have just witnessed the extraordinary Artemis II space mission that launched four astronauts into space for ten days and returned them safely back to earth. This mission, like all the NASA journeys into space, reflects the coming together of the human intellect, dedication, teamwork, vision, and deep caring. With humility, these leaders remind us of the startling beauty of our earth, including the very best of human achievement.

This is sacred terrain.

By sacred, I mean a universal creative energy that penetrates all life forms; an underlying coherence. This energy may go by many names, such as God, Holy Spirit, Buddha nature; or Truth, Ultimate Goodness, Breath of Nature, to name a few. This unifying creative force is understood by science through explorations of, for example consciousness and cosmology.

We are hungry to connect. Oddly, our cell phones enable us to relate with others more instantly than ever before, yet these exchanges are often transactional. “I’ll meet you at 7pm”; or, “What shall we have for dinner?” Years ago there was a series of television commercials for the phone company AT&T, with the tag line, “Reach out and touch someone….” The commercials showed joyful interactions, giving and receiving calls with loved ones.

Today, for all our instant connect-ability through technology, we are losing touch with one another. We are forgetting the sacredness of humanity and our earth home. The consequences are disastrous, individually and collectively, as we are witnessing.

We stand at a doorway, invited to discover the compassionate wisdom of connection. This is an opportunity to heal, to re-affirm the goodness of Life, to embrace suffering, our own and that of others; and to inspire hope. 

What will turn the tide? How do we return to real connection with others?

In the old days, families and friends got together to play cards. It was a way to connect in person, to share an activity as a way of staying in touch. From a young age, my dad taught me card games like gin rummy and euchre, and offered a few lessons in bridge. In college, I added the card game hearts which I played most evenings with friends. My grown sons are avid chess players.

Recently, I discovered that lots of people, young and old, are re-discovering connection through group games. The games can be board games, card games, or some group activity, like bowling, singing, dancing, or making art. The point is to bring people together, friends and strangers, to enjoy a shared activity, just for the fun of it. Over time, people open up to each other, sharing more of themselves and their lives. We enter sacred terrain. 

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION

~  What does the “sacredness of life” mean to you? What helps you appreciate the sacred?

~  What would be fun for you to do with others? 

~  Is there something already available in your community? Are you willing to participate?

~  If it’s not available nearby, are you willing to organize it? Or to find others to organize it with you?

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”   Romans 12:2