Pain and Suffering

I was recently hospitalized for a bout with acute pancreatic.  This is a condition where the pancreatic duct gets clogged, the pancreas becomes severely inflamed and the pain becomes unbearable.  It is a very serious condition and the primary course to hospitalize the patient, shut down the digestive track with no food or nutrition by the mouth, initiate saline and pain meds via IV.  This was my 2nd bout in the past 10 years - and believe me, it is no day in the park.

The first 3 or 4 days the pain and suffering are excruciating and you don't want to see or have any visitors.  Of course, for most of us our social capital become concerned and want to reach out in support.  We have all done this and, in the end, it is at the core of the health impact of social capital.  Still, as the patient, most of us want to be left alone with our pain and suffering.

Laying in the hospital, reflecting on this was illuminating to my personal understanding of social capital.  Over the years I have read, studied, lectured, and attending trainings on social capital and feel I have a fairly good grasp on the topic.  I have written extensively on the subject with the highly successful, "Social Capital: The Key to Macro Change" 2014).  But this personal experience, when I actually felt better after talking with family and friends, brought the concept full circle.

In the end, as much as we know that the concept of social capital can be deep and esoteric, in the end the notion of relationships is really basic and simple.  Life can bring on experiences of pain and suffering.  These times challenge us both physically and emotionally - but it is the simple notion of our relationships that bring us through.