4 entries found for connection.
con·nec·tion
n
- The act of connecting.
- The state of being connected.
- One that connects; a link: made a connection between the two pipes.
- An association or relationship: There appeared to be no connection between the two crimes.
- The logical or intelligible ordering of words or ideas; coherence.
- Reference or relation to something else; context: In this connection, the agreement can be seen as a step toward peace.
- A person, especially one of influence or importance, with whom one is associated, as by kinship or common interests: used her connections to land a job.
- A conveyance or scheduled run providing continuing service between means of transportation: missed my connection in Atlanta.
- A physical link, such as by wire or fiber-optic cable, between two or more points in a telecommunications system: established a connection to the Internet.
- A means or channel of communication: couldn't hear due to the bad phone connection.
- Slang.
- A drug dealer.
- A purchase of illegal drugs.
con·nection·al adj.
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Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
con·nec·tion
n.
- The act of connecting or the state of being connected.
- Something that connects.
Source: The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
connection
n 1: a relation between things or events (as in the case of one causing the other or sharing features with it); "there was a connection between eating that pickle and having that nightmare" [syn: connexion, connectedness] [ant: unconnectedness] 2: the state of being connected; "the connection between church and state is inescapable" [syn: link, connectedness] [ant: disjunction] 3: an instrumentality that connects; "he soldered the connection"; "he didn't have the right connector between the amplifier and the speakers" [syn: connexion, connector, connecter, connective] 4: (usually plural) a person who is influential and to whom you are connected in some way (as by family or friendship); "he has powerful connections" 5: the process of bringing ideas or events together in memory or imagination; "conditioning is a form of learning by association" [syn: association, connexion] 6: a connecting shape [syn: connexion, link] 7: a supplier (especially of narcotics) 8: shifting from one form of transportation to another; "the plane was late and he missed his connection in Atlanta" [syn: connexion] 9: the act of bringing two things into contact (especially for communication); "the joining of hands around the table"; "there was a connection via the internet" [syn: joining, connexion]
Source: WordNet ® 2.0, © 2003 Princeton University
connection
connection: in CancerWEB's On-line Medical Dictionary
Source: On-line Medical Dictionary, © 1997-98 Academic Medical Publishing & CancerWEB
Synonyms: affiliation, alliance, association, attachment, bond, combination, conjointment, conjunction, coupling, fastening, hookup, joining, joint, junction, juncture, link, network, partnership, seam, tie, tie-in, union Antonyms: breach, disconnection Source: Roget's New Millennium™ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.1.1)
Copyright © 2006 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved.
Synonyms: affinity, application, association, bearing, bond, commerce, communication, correlation, correspondence, intercourse, interrelation, kinship, link, marriage, nexus, partnership, reciprocity, relationship, relevance, tie-in, togetherness Antonyms: dissociation Source: Roget's New Millennium™ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.1.1)
Copyright © 2006 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved.
Synonyms: acquaintance, agent, ally, association, contact, friend, go-between, intermediary, kin, kindred, kinship, messenger, network, relation, relative, sponsor Antonyms: enemy, foe, rival Source: Roget's New Millennium™ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.1.1)
Copyright © 2006 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved.
Because the above dictionary definitions seemed unable to define "connection" without using the root "connect", I decided to have a look at the definitions for "connect", as well:
4 entries found for connect.In L.M. Montgomery's Anne books, Anne calls her best friend, Diana, a kindred spirit... someone with whom she feels an intense connection. As we see above, a connection is an association, an attachment, a bond. It is a joining, a union.
con·nect
v. con·nect·ed, con·nect·ing, con·nects
v. tr.v. intr.
- To join or fasten together.
- To associate or consider as related: no reason to connect the two events. See Synonyms at join.
- To join to or by means of a communications circuit: Please connect me to the number in San Diego. Her computer is connected to the Internet.
- To plug in (an electrical cord or device) to an outlet.
- To become joined or united: two streams connecting to form a river.
- To be scheduled so as to provide continuing service, as between airplanes or buses.
- To establish a rapport or relationship; relate: The candidate failed to connect with the voters.
- Sports. To hit or play a ball successfully: The batter connected for a home run.
[Middle English connecten, from Latin cnectere, connectere : c-, com-, com- + nectere, to bind; see ned- in Indo-European Roots.]
con·necti·ble or con·necta·ble adj.
con·nector or con·necter n.
[Download Now or Buy the Book]
Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
con·nect
v. con·nect·ed, con·nect·ing, con·nect·s
- To join or fasten together.
- To become joined or united.
con·nector n.
Source: The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
connect
v 1: connect, fasten, or put together two or more pieces; "Can you connect the two loudspeakers?"; "Tie the ropes together"; "Link arms" [syn: link, tie, link up] [ant: disconnect] 2: make a logical or causal connection; "I cannot connect these two pieces of evidence in my mind"; "colligate these facts"; "I cannot relate these events at all" [syn: associate, tie in, relate, link, colligate, link up] [ant: decouple] 3: be or become joined or united or linked; "The two streets connect to become a highway"; "Our paths joined"; "The travelers linked up again at the airport" [syn: link, link up, join, unite] 4: join by means of communication equipment; "The telephone company finally put in lines to connect the towns in this area" 5: land on or hit solidly; "The brick connected on her head, knocking her out" 6: join for the purpose of communication; "Operator, could you connect me to the Raffles in Singapore?" 7: be scheduled so as to provide continuing service, as in transportation; "The local train does not connect with the Amtrak train"; "The planes don't connect and you will have to wait for four hours" 8: establish a rapport or relationship; "The President of this university really connects with the faculty" 9: establish communication with someone; "did you finally connect with your long-lost cousin?" [syn: get in touch, touch base] 10: plug into an outlet; "Please plug in the toaster!"; "Connect the TV so we can watch the football game tonight" [syn: plug in] [ant: unplug] 11: hit or play a ball successfully; "The batter connected for a home run"
Source: WordNet ® 2.0, © 2003 Princeton University
connect
Unix socket library routine to connect
a socket that has been created on the local hosts to one at a
specified socket address on the remote host.
Unix manual pages: connect(2), accept(2).
(1995-03-21)
Source: The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2005 Denis Howe
Human beings were designed for connection. We were designed to be connected to each other, and to God, for our spirits were created in His image. God created man to be His companion. God created woman to be a companion for man, because He saw that the animals simply weren't enough. (This in no way negates the deep feelings we have for our pets; I myself am inextricably connected to my guinea pigs. But sometimes one needs the presence of another human being in one's life.) On the cross, Christ felt His connection with the Father was gone - severed by our sin - and He cried out in anguish at the loss of that Presence.
But what is connection, really? I think it is an incredibly subjective term, one that each person uses in a different way. When I say that I do not feel connected to many people, my meaning in using that phrase is probably very different from that of someone else.
For me, if I say that I feel connected to someone, that means that I feel they understand me, that they know me very well, and that I know and understand them. There is a reciprocity there, intrinsic to the very nature of connection. I cannot feel connected to someone with whom I have not spent quality time. I need to talk to someone, hear their stories, feel their stories, if I am to become connected with them. Without that relational development, I have no connection.
I think that most people these days are lacking in social skills. To be perfectly honest, I feel more connected with the eleven year old autistic child I do respite care for twice a month than I do with most of the people at my church. He remembers everything I say to him and everything we do together. He begins watching for me at least half an hour before I am due to arrive to pick him up. I understand that his repetitive talk is often a result of anxiety, and I allow him the space - the safety - to work that out of his system in his own way. I understand that he requires the vestibular input of swinging on a swingset after a few hours in busy stores - much as he likes being in those busy places, and I try to give him as much of that time as I can near the end of our time together. We have little games that we play together, that others probably wouldn't understand. Little things like my telling him that I'm proud of him for something he did well cause him to smile and stare at the ground in embarrassed pleasure. Perhaps he does not know me as well as I know him, but he does know what will upset me, and he does his best to please me. He responds to me and my particular brand of socialisation much better than practically anyone else I have ever met, except perhaps for my immediate family and my best friend - and other autistic children I have known over the years.
What is it that allows us to forge these connections? How am I able to make almost immediate connections with autistic children - children who are supposedly "unreachable" - but have such difficulty connecting with people I should logically have as friends, mentors, and peers?
I think that a lot of it has to do with attitude, openness, and respect.
When I meet an autistic person, I do not think of them as being unreachable. I think of them as being people who have a unique way of interacting with the world, and I see my job - as a non-autistic person in their lives - to be that of creating safe spaces, communicating, and interpreting. I am open to learning their style of communicating, and I respect their way of existing in space. I try to approach all people in this same way.
The neurotypical world does not have this philosophy.
The neurotypicals of the world think that everyone should communicate in the same way. We ought all to have similar (if not identical) behavioural patterns, and we had best conform or be ostracised. It is boggling to realize that this is so prevalent in a society that prides itself on the individuality of those residing within it.
And so, those of us who have perhaps a non-standard way of communicating or connecting with others often find ourselves "on the outside looking in".
But what I find most disconcerting is that, likely because of the way my personal style of interacting with others manifests, many people imagine themselves to be connected to me in a way that makes me extremely uncomfortable. Those of us who are open to differences, who take time to really listen to others, often discover that we have friends (or even lovers!) we did not know we had. But these people, having never before encountered someone who interacts on this deeper level, imagine that they are somehow more special to us.
I cannot exist on a diet of superficial connection the way most of the world does. As a result, I categorize friends much differently than other people might. Your "acquaintance" is probably my "stranger", and your "casual friend" is my "acquaintance". And your "close friend" is my "friend", while your "best friend" is probably merely my "close friend". My best friend is likely closer to me than most people ever let anyone get, save for romantic relationships. As a result, I have no space in my life for more than one best friend, because more than that would limit my ability to ever hope to sustain a romantic relationship.
Because of this, I imagine that my relationship with God feels severely lacking to me and would be perfectly fine for someone else.
But what is this need for deep connection, and why do some of us seem to need such connections more than others?
For this, you must wait until I am able to write my next post.
Introduction
Part Two: Why do we need connection?
Part Three: How do we achieve connection?
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