Well well well if it isn’t the good ol’ U.S. of A, with its serious case of loneliness. I mean, we’re talking about a whopping 60 million Americans who feel alone or isolated. And that’s without taking into account the pandemic that has been going on for the last two years, folks. Apparently, there’s a 25% reduction in Americans who have five or more close friends, and that change occurred since the year 1990. To add more to the fun, even the youngsters are feeling lonelier than the elderly out here.
We all like to say loneliness is like a disease, an epidemic, you know, one of those scary situations. But have you ever thought of it as a choice? You heard it right, folks. The loneliness in the land of the free is not a result of the digital age or advancements. Instead, it’s a result of the social structures we’ve chosen. And just in case you guys missed it, it wasn’t an unconscious decision, a’right?
Today, we have a special guest, Sheila Liming. She is an associate professor of communications and creative media at Champlain College and the author of “Hanging Out: The Radical Power of Killing Time.” Sheila is going to enlighten us with what she calls the “quiet catastrophe” happening in our social lives. Want to know what is up? It is the fact that we hardly spend any time together outside of our workplace, partnerships, or family units. Interesting, isn’t it?
Seriously, how are we expected to make new connections when our social lives revolve around work and the family? Like, where do people go to meet new people? The supermarket? A bar? Come on now, folks. Is there a better way to make connections and make them easily? Sheila investigates this in her book and gives some insightful observations. Now, wouldn’t that lighten the mood and not be so… lonely?
So let’s face it; we need a solution. What can we do to combat this situation? Is it cafes in every street corner? Or perhaps more community centers? Who knows? One thing is for sure is that we need to be more mindful when it comes to making and keeping strong connections with people outside of our everyday lives. Don’t be the person that only has work friends or family. Go out and mingle with the people in your community. Who knows, you might even make new friends!

Serious News: nytimes