The Social Nervous System

What:

The Social Nervous system is an abstract framework (inspired by the polyvagal theory of Stephen Porges) I have been constructing for the last seven years to portray the interconnectedness between mental health, physical wellbeing, economics, ecology, philosophy and public policy. The framework is to view society as an organism and explore how it has multidirectional interplay with an individual's sense of safety, threat, emotion, health and wellbeing.

Intention:

This is a monthly gathering to explore the components of the idea. It’s an attempt to explore the topics that affect our past, present & future. The intention is to engage, embody and enact these ideas to improve both the individual and gross collective happiness and wellbeing. The topics have the essence of self regulation and enhancement, however the purpose of the gatherings are to reflect and to initiate social change.

Structure:

A session usually incorporates an introduction and expansion of a topic followed by reflective activities and discussion with somatic brain breaks.

Each gathering will start with a potluck dinner. In modern society , it’s becoming a common phenomena to eat alone. But across the cultures, we evolved to eat together. Our digestive enzymes and nutrition doesn’t only depend on the food we eat but who we are sharing the meal with. In the epidemic of loneliness, connectedness is the antidote of feeling isolated and powerless. So bring a dish to join for the dinner.

You :

• Anyone who’s interested to engage in a purposeful living, to focus beyond individual needs, urges and desires and offer their potentiality in betterment of others.
• If exploring and engaging in novel ideas and perspectives are stimulating to you. I
• f you want to explore depth of understanding of the world within you and outside you.
• If you are or want to be a changemaker, dreamer, idealist, realist, artist, academic, carer, lover, warrior, thinker or simply intrigued by the buzz, this is for you.

What to bring

Please bring your curiosity, openness, a notebook , a pen and a dish to share. Also extend this invitation to your friends who would be interested in such talks and gatherings.

“An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.”

― Martin Luther King Jr.

Location:
Black Spark Cultural Centre.
126A Gladstone Ave, Northcote VIC 3070
Gate opens at 6.30pm and the dinner starts from 7pm. Followed by the talk and reflective activities.

Cost :

Registration fee is $15 + booking fee for each session to cover the cost. Please register through the link to reserve your spot.

If financial concern is the only issue of you not being able to attend the session, don't hesitate. Register through the 'No Cost Access' in the Eventbrite admission form to reserve the spot. No explanation needed.

Upcoming dates and topics:

• Monday, 14.10.24 : Art, expression, authenticity, public space.
• Sunday, 03.11.24: The evolutionary needs of the social mammals & modern human society.
• Sunday, 01.12.24: Heroes, courage, hope

Date TBA:

• Dependency of the ecological well being and our mental health and wellbeing
• Ikigai and the essence of life
• Holistic Economy : economy of emotions, neurotransmitters and state of being
• Science based metrics for policy making:
• GDP and Per Capita : REM Sleep, Amygdala activity, emotions, neurotransmitters and state of being e.t.c.
• Unified Mission, conflict of interest, Sumptuary law
• Game theory expansion
• Individual and Collective effort
• Empathy Paralysis, Compassion
• Deprivation of friendship, community, connection, sense of belonging, reciprocity.
• Pace of adaptation ( lifetime, intergenerational, evolutionary)
• Scope of creativity and authentic expression in influencing the social nervous system

About Myself :

I am Ocean Ornob. I am a multidisciplinary artist and thinker. I grew up in Bangladesh surrounded by a large supportive family. In 2014, I moved from the world’s least liveable city, Dhaka to the most liveable city, Melbourne. That transition exposed me to the different perspectives and ways of being in life. Being away from home and novel challenges of life made me experience various situational stress, helplessness and loneliness. It made me curious to understand how stress affects others. Eventually it set me off on a path to explore different human emotions, resilience, nervous system, significance of love, touch, connection and attachments on health and wellbeing. I am deeply passionate about sharing scientific findings with people in a playful and interactive manner using storytelling and participatory somatic practices.

Acknowledgement:

The gathering will take place in Wurundjeri country. We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land and pay our respects to Elders past and present.

Content Alert:

The contents in the sessions sometimes explore sensitive topics of a wide range of emotional states and different sorts of socio political issues and challenges. Please be mindful if any topic has a personal sensitivity. If you need to take a break during the session, it’s encouraged to do so.

Host or Publisher Ocean Ornob