Loneliness is the new pandemic
Authorities have caused it and can't fix it. But we the people can...
Abridged and adapted from this Dr. Mercola article:
Authorities Admit Loneliness Epidemic but Shun Responsibility
(You can also find it here).
Loneliness is the new pandemic
Loneliness is a global epidemic that has been silently developing for 30 years and which has been exponentially worsened by the COVID epidemic countermeasures. This article is not all doom and gloom however, because there’s a lot we can do for ourselves. Check out the video below (it’ll make you smile!), and look through the tips at the end of this article under: “Don’t be lonely: some advice”.
Contents of this article
Loneliness is an epidemic
(Video above): A New Yorker’s techniques for talking to strangers
Disturbing facts about loneliness
Loneliness Is the Product of Intentional Social Engineering
Economic Drivers Behind Loneliness and Isolation
Teens Turn to Chatbots for Mental Health Support
Don’t be lonely: some advice
Sources and References
Disturbing facts about loneliness
Between 2003 and 2020, the time the average American spent with friends decreased by two-thirds.
In 2020, 29% of Americans lived alone, up from 13% in 1960.
Religious affiliation dropped to 47% in 2020, from 70% in 1999.
Marriage and birth rates are at all-time lows.
People who feel socially disconnected experience higher rates of depression, anxiety, drug and alcohol abuse and suicide.
Being socially disconnected impacts your mortality similar to smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day, and the mortality risk rises even higher with obesity and inactivity.
21% of people reported “severe loneliness” during 2020 compared to just 6% prior to the pandemic.
Loneliness doesn’t just suddenly happen. When you break down the social fabric and don’t allow for organic social interactions, it has long-lasting consequences.
The U.S. and other governments refuse to bear the responsibility for worsening the 20-years-old epidemic of loneliness which they did by enacting inhumane COVID rules and restrictions that criminalised human-to-human contact and social interactions of all kinds, even among family members.
Since the governments and their big business friends won’t help us rebuild our broken relationships, we must do it for ourselves!
Loneliness Is the Product of Intentional Social Engineering
The Daily Caller highlights how the government has, for many decades, implemented destructive social engineering policies that have undermined the social cohesion, that U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy now says we must rebuild:9
“Social connection builds up organically through repeated interactions that establish trust and obligation between community members over time.
The progressive social engineering of a more secular and gender-neutral society has led to a decline in both church attendance and voluntary organisations that once built the bedrock of organic American social connection. Now that it’s gone, it will be exceedingly difficult to replace it artificially.
However, those with absolute faith in the progressive worldview can still not accept it has produced negative outcomes. The solution, according to the architects of these policies and their ideological forebears, is always more government action in pursuit of progressive utopia. Murthy’s report cannot produce its stated goals because success would require a rejection of the very ideology they’re based on.”
Economic Drivers Behind Loneliness and Isolation
Brendan Case is associate director for research at Harvard’s Human Flourishing Program,10 he states:-
“The US government’s vague and superficial approach would perhaps be less frustrating if we didn’t already know a great deal about the origins of the crisis of loneliness and isolation. Social disconnection doesn’t erupt at random.”
Case also stresses amongst other things, the need to “treat marriage and religious community as the load-bearing and irreplaceable institutions they still are,” and “not as boutique lifestyles that can be compensated for by ‘social connection outside of traditional means and structures.’”
Teens Turn to Chatbots for Mental Health Support
Meanwhile, in the real world, troubled teens are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence (AI) for emotional and mental health support. As reported by Fox News:15
“... while it’s not billed as a source of medical advice, some teens have turned to Snapchat’s My AI for mental health support — something many medical experts caution against ...
“…Some users have expressed that the more they use AI chatbots, the more they begin to replace human connections with the chatbot taking on more importance in their lives ...”
Dr. [Zachary] Ginder of California was quoted to say: “With My AI’s human-like responses . …it may be difficult for younger users to distinguish whether they’re talking to an actual human or a chatbot. ‘AI ‘speaks’ with clinical authority that sounds accurate at face value, despite it occasionally fabricating the answer,’ he explained ...
‘This has the potential to send caregivers and their children down assessment and treatment pathways that are inappropriate for their needs,’ he warned.”
….one person, and an adult at that, has already been coaxed into committing suicide by an AI chatbot.16
Will AI chatbots encourage children to take revenge on people they’re disappointed with? Will they encourage violent acting out? Will they encourage further retreat from reality by coaxing children into “the chatbot’s world,” like the chatbot that harassed a user with amorous notes, saying they were destined for each other and he should leave his wife (search for the word wife in this article)?
The risk of having young people seek mental health advice from a technology that is still riddled with imperfections is beyond massive and really needs to be stopped before disaster strikes.
Considering those in charge of developing and regulating these technologies are throwing the precautionary principle to the wind, I urge parents to get involved and stay involved in your children’s life. Don’t let half-baked AI bots determine their future sanity and well-being.
Don’t be lonely: some advice
In closing, if you struggle with loneliness, the following strategies, pulled from a variety of sources, may be of help.17,18,19
Join a club — Proactive approaches to meeting others include joining a club and planning get-togethers with family, friends or neighbours, Meetup.com is an online source where you can locate a vast array of local clubs and get-togethers. Many communities also have community gardens where you can benefit from the outdoors while mingling with your neighbours.
Learn a new skill — Consider enrolling in a class or taking an educational course.
Create rituals of connection — Rituals are a powerful means for reducing loneliness. Examples include having weekly talk sessions with your girlfriends and/or making meal time a special time to connect with your family without rushing.
Consider a digital cleanse — If your digital life has overtaken face-to-face interactions, consider taking a break from social media while taking proactive steps to meet people in person.
Research shows Facebook may be more harmful than helpful to your emotional well-being, raising your risk of depression — especially if your contacts’ posts elicit envy. In one study,20 Facebook users who took a one-week break from the site reported significantly higher levels of life satisfaction and a significantly improved emotional life.
Make good use of digital media — For others, a phone call or text message can be a much-needed lifeline. Examples of this include sending encouraging text messages to people who are struggling with loneliness, offering support and help to live healthier lives, and follow through on healthy lifestyle changes.
Exercise with others — Joining a gym or signing up with a fitness-directed club or team sport will create opportunities to meet people while improving your physical fitness at the same time.
Shop local — Routinely frequenting local shops, coffee shops or farmers markets will help you develop a sense of community and encourage the formation of relationships.
Talk to strangers — Talking to strangers in the store, in your neighborhood or on your daily commute is often a challenge, but can have many valuable benefits, including alleviating loneliness (your own and others’). Talking to strangers builds bridges between ordinary people who may not otherwise forge a connection.
People of the opposite gender, different walks of life or different cultures hold a key to opening up to new ideas or making connections with old ones. In this short video, reporter for The Atlantic, Dr. James Hamblin, demonstrates techniques for learning how to talk with strangers.
Volunteer — Volunteering is another way to increase your social interactions and pave the way for new relationships.
Adopt a companion pet — A dog or cat can provide unconditional love and comfort, and studies show that owning a pet can help protect against loneliness, depression and anxiety. The bond that forms between a person and a companion pet can be incredibly fulfilling and serves, in many ways, as an important and rewarding relationship. The research on this is really quite profound.
For instance, having a dog as a companion could add years to your life,21 as studies have shown that owning a dog played a significant role on survival rates in heart attack victims. Studies have also revealed that people on Medicaid or Medicare who own a pet make fewer visits to the doctor.22
The unconditional acceptance and love a dog gives to their owner positively impacts their owner's emotional health in ways such as:
Boosting self-confidence and self-esteem
Helping to meet new friends and promoting communication between elderly residents and neighbors
Helping you cope with illness, loss and depression
Reducing stress levels
Providing a source of touch and affiliation
If you’re looking for a furry friend, check out your local animal shelter. Most are filled with cats and dogs looking for someone to love. Petfinder.com23 is another excellent resource for finding a pet companion.
Move and/or change jobs — While the most drastic of all options, it may be part of the answer for some. To make it worthwhile, be sure to identify the environment or culture that would fit your personality best and consider proximity to longtime friends and family.