By Pamela J. Gallagher

In our society, “living in a bubble” has long been frowned upon as an out-of-touch, undesirable way of living life. Yet four years ago, the entire world received a crash course in “bubble living” as we quarantined and socially distanced to protect our health and the health of others. It seems that today, though the threat of COVID has dramatically lessened, some are in many ways still stuck in this isolating way of living and thinking.

Those who are living in a bubble are engrossed in a world of their own making, completely isolated from what is happening all around them. This can be a physical separation, but it is also possible to be daily surrounded by people, yet live in a mental and emotional bubble. Folks living in this kind of bubble often try to limit their attention and relationships to others who hold the same perspectives and experiences.

Are bubbles all bad?

Giving up control of their own universe—no matter how small or unsatisfying—is unappealing to many, because the benefits of life in a bubble are real.  In a time as tumultuous as ours, constructing a bubble can be an appealing alternative to the constant cognitive dissonance and discomfort of life in a dynamic world with diverse perspectives. Society has experienced rapid change in the past several decades, and living in a bubble gives humans with a need for some level of agency and autonomy the ability to create a familiar, controlled environment with a much slower rate of change. Risk feels more manageable, escapable even, in this way of living.

What might we be missing?

No matter the feelings of comfort and normalcy they may bring, all bubbles burst eventually. We have much less control over our own lives than we like to think, and the false realities we create to comfort ourselves can’t last. Letting your world expand—whether physically, intellectually, or emotionally—beyond the bounds of your bubble is uncomfortable, but the positive benefits of a more vulnerable life outside the bubble outweigh the costs.

Here are the benefits of living outside your own bubble that I find most compelling, and challenge me to regularly evaluate whether my ways of living and thinking are growing in the direction of openness or isolation:

• Support: Life is precious, but it also hard. Instead of closing yourself off in an illusion of control over difficulty and discomfort, reach out to others for support in challenging times and give support to others.

• Camaraderie: Humans are social beings. Countless studies show that our well-being increases across a number of factors when we are part of meaningful relationships and feel a sense of responsibility to others.

• Sharing of ideas: Listening to the ideas and perspectives of others does not have to be a threat to your closely held convictions. Instead of becoming more insular, listening only to voices that agree with you, be someone who seeks to make others feel understood, even if you do not agree with them.

• Common purpose: Working with other people with varying talents, personalities, and perspectives toward a common purpose is one of the most satisfying and rewarding experiences of life. Living in a bubble might be more comfortable, but it can never provide formative experiences like accomplishing shared goals can.

Resources:

Living in a bubble, Justice versus Conscience