“It is beyond rare to be in the presence of a person holding high governmental office who speaks about love with ease and dignity — and about the agency to be healers that is available to us all,” says Krista Tippett as she introduces Vivek Murthy in her podcast interview.
The U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, highlights the issue of loneliness as part of a public health crisis and the mental health crisis that the nation is facing.
In the middle of that conversation, he offered a meditation to the audience for those difficult times of despair… to feel less alone. He describes his own challenges with loneliness and disconnection. The room grew silent as he asked everyone to put their hand on their heart. Even on the podcast, you can feel the palpable sense of peace that entered the room during the meditation.
Vice Admiral Vivek Murthy is a physician and research scientist serving his second tenure as U.S. Surgeon General. He leads the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (PHSCC), the federal uniformed service of the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS). I was surprised to realize that I met him in Miami at a kirtan concert many years ago. The world is a small place.