Apr 16, 2023 10:30 AM —  12:00 PM Deepening Connections and Feeling Less Alone | Bart Campolo | Weekly Sunday Gathering —  Baker Ripley, 6500 Rookin, Houston, TX

Main Topic: Deepening Connections and Feeling Less Alone

Main Speaker: Bart Campolo

Music: Ryan Adam Wells

Main talk Summary: 

According to the CDC, social isolation significantly increased a person’s risk of premature death from all causes, is associated with about a 50% percent increased risk of dementia, a 29% increased risk of heart disease, a 32% increased risk of stroke. Loneliness is also associated with higher rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide. These numbers are particularly troubling in light of a recent study published by the Survey Center on American Life, in which Americans reported having fewer close friendships than they once did, talking to their friends less often, and relying less on their friends for personal support. In fact, 12% of this study’s interviewees claimed to have zero friends today, four times as many as 30 years ago. The good news, according humanist chaplain, clinical counselor and award-winning podcaster Bart Campolo, is that establishing and deepening loving relationships isn’t a natural gift some of us have and the rest of us don’t, but rather is a learned ability - like archery or cooking - that all of us can improve through training and practice. So then, this talk will be all about how folks like us can learn - and teach others - to be less lonely and more connected.

Bart Campolo is a secular community builder, counselor and writer who currently serves as the Humanist Chaplain at the University of Cincinnati. He also hosts a podcast called Humanize Me.
He is the son of Tony Campolo, a prominent Christian evangelical pastor and was a pastor himself before becoming a secular humanist.