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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nKalief Browder:<\/strong> Now if that was the effect after 6 days, imagine being isolated from reality for 2 years. This was the case with Kalief Browder. Browder was a common kid, getting into small theft trouble in the streets of New York. One day he was arrested and charged with a crime he did not commit. Without any evidence, he was charged and sentenced, based on his prior history. He was sent to the Rikers Island jail system. There, he was being bullied. So he fought to defend himself. In doing so, they put him in solitary confinement. He spent 800 days in solitary confinement. Studies show<\/a> that if one is in solitary confinement for more than 30 days, they will suffer severe psychological damage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After his release, the case gained national attention. Browder appeared on The View with his lawyer. Rapper Jay-Z reached out to him. He was gaining national support. Nothing but love. But love was not enough. Upon his fifth suicide attempt, Browder was finally successful in 2013. The isolation had destroyed him permanently. Love was not enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oxytocin:<\/strong> There are four \u201cfeel-good\u201d chemicals that flow through your brain. Endorphins, Dopamine, Serotonin, and Oxytocin. Of the four, oxytocin is the only one that does not have a negative side. Endorphins mask pain, but the pain comes back. You can easily become addicted to dopamine. Serotonin can be tricked into being released. But oxytocin requires generosity and\/or physical touch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So the way oxytocin is released is when there is physical touch and when there is a random act of kindness or an act of true generosity without expectation of reciprocity. So when you pat someone on the back or shake their hand or hug them, oxytocin is released. When you do something kind for someone, you get a release of oxytocin, they get a release as well, as well as anyone who witnessed it. Oxytocin fights addiction and boosts your immune system. We are DESIGNED to be generous, social beings. Love is not enough. I know, \u201cBut you said God is not enough?\u201d Hear me out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Adam and Eve:<\/strong> God created everything in the world, every living thing. Then He created Adam. At this moment, there is no sin. There is no competition for God\u2019s attention. There is only Adam and God. Adam literally had everything he needed in that moment. And somehow, in the midst of such perfection, God still said, \u201cIt is not good for man to be alone.\u201d Why?! He had God. He had love. If that is all we need, then there was no need for anything else in that moment. That\u2019s just it, we needed more, because of how God made us. It\u2019s the relational aspect of how we are created that causes us to want to be close to God, which was the original design. I don\u2019t want to force<\/em> my kids to hug me. I want them to want<\/em> to hug me. That aspect of us requires more than love and more than God. It requires each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What we find is that when we are separated from each other, the enemy begins to tell lies that we begin to believe which destroy us. When we are isolated from God\u2019s other creations, we lose the ability for rational thought. But when we do something for someone else, we better our own physical body and brain. We unlock what God created for us by being socially interactive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, is love all we need? No. Is God all we need? Apparently not. We need God and God in each other. This is the only way we thrive the way God intended. I know it doesn\u2019t sing well, but it\u2019s just the truth. So this Christmas, embrace the time of giving generously and joyously but with a new outlook on it. It is what we all NEED. And maybe we can start acting like it\u2019s Christmas year round.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stay Classy GP!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Grainger<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Why is Christmas many people\u2019s favorite time of year? Even non-religious people, it\u2019s their favorite time of year. What makes this time of year different for those that aren\u2019t actually celebrating Jesus\u2019 birth? I have a theory. We have all heard the songs, \u201clove is all you need\u201d or \u201cyou are all I need\u201d and … <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Kalief_Browder.jpg\")
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