Why social wellness?
The world is filled with more information than ever. Humans have access to more luxury. comfort, food, exotic experiences, and wealth than anytime in history, and yet making a good life is still hard to come by. Suicide rates are at any all time high. People are depressed. And strangers are angry at one another. The world is too fragile to continue to focus on personal gratification. We must evolve into a version of ourselves that accepts, empathizes with and makes space for other identities, beliefs and practices outside of our universe of obligation.
Researchers at UC-Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, for example, report six major underpinnings of happiness, one component of wellness: compassion, friendship, gratitude, forgiveness, exercise and mindfulness. So you're not truly well unless you have compassion for others, develop meaningful relationships and forgive people.
Is there proof for this approach?
In 2014, the Stanford Prevention Research Center launched the WELL program — its ultimate goal, to improve the health and wellness of whole populations.
To create an accurate vocabulary of wellness, trained interviewers sat down with more than 100 people from Santa Clara County and listened to their stories. Demographically representative of this diverse area, the 100 included men and women, young and old, and a variety of ethnic groups. Similar efforts took place in China and Taiwan.
Tia Rich, PhD, WELL senior research assistant, interviewed half of the Santa Clara County participants.
The research identified ten domains of wellness
• Social connectedness
• Lifestyle behaviors
• Stress and resilience
• Emotional health
• Physical health
• Meaning and purpose
• Sense of self
• Finances
• Spirituality or religiosity
• Exploration and creativity
Eight of the above ten domains are directly related to being in deep relationship with yourself, The Higher Power, or others. Ironically the other two: finances, and physical health are the domains most of us focus on. Maybe this is why we go to the gym, have big homes, nice cars and good jobs and we're still unhappy.
Spentem aims to curate the best of researched studies and lived experience, to help human beings usher themselves into the empowerment of public love, compassion, self esteem, and critical conscience. Our strength is in using strategies of becoming rather than learning. We don't teach, we share. We're not educators, we're co-learners. Our workshops, circles and havens focus on action-items and tasks that one can learn, practice and grow from.
What we believe
We hold seven sacred principles to our work
1. Truth is not in a bottle.
Truth can be found in many different places. A word of truth can be spread by the worst of liars. . We must explore how our personal truth widens and sometimes narrows the path to enlightenment
2. The goal of co-habitation is fellowship
We coexist to co-learn. We share space so that we might edify ourselves through the humanity and identity of others. There is no life without each of our contributions
3. Critical self-reflection is obligatory
None of us are who we think we are, nor are we what our image compels others to label us as. Each of us must think critically about our beliefs, habits and relationships so that we truly become who we need to be
4. Understanding context is mandatory
Some people are born into bigotry and never learn inclusion. Some are born into wealth and can't conceptualize the pain that poverty brings. Some are born into violence and don't understand peaceful compromise. We must understand our co-learners and be prepared to show grace and insight by extending the hand of patient accountability.
5. Service to others is key
No one gets off this planet without the ability and opportunity to help someone else. A kind word. An act of bravery. A prayer. A coin. A meal. A complement. With the right intentionality, everything can be service.
6. Civil discourse is priority
The beauty of relationship is in communication. The art of communication is in listening. The goal of listening to understand. To understand someone is to love them publicly.
7. We're all broken and ignorant
A well-put-together face, and attractive smile cannot hide our brokenness. Likewise a vast vocabulary and extensive credentials cannot hide our ignorance. All of us are parts of the brokenness of one another. To heal one soul is to heal a piece of yourself.