Why Loneliness Epidemic Among Us Grows?

Reminders that Make a Difference

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Loneliness… a word has devastating, shattering effect to all of us. It is not just a concept on a paper or in someone’s head. Loneliness is becoming one of the worst epidemics of our time. It grows. It sucks in more souls and takes away from the productive years that could be spent connected to other people.

Like in any conversation, there’s a silver lining – you and I and anybody else can and should take the first step towards RECONNECTING ourselves to the fabric of the society we live in. The fabric that gives life and “magical” sensation of being part of a bigger story, effecting someone else’s life.

This social connection brings up a very vivid image from one of the best movies on social consciousness – AVATAR. There’s a powerful scene in the movie when the Na’vi (the name of the species with blue skin) is forming a magical circle of all the remaining representatives of the species to incorporate a human being Jake into their species. That moment in the movie is so POWERFUL, the tears start pouring down the face, and the whole body and our own consciousness is activated wanting to see the goodness of that connection would work for Jake.

The magic of  that circle of life – literally – is all about CONNECTIONS. Connections among and between every single Na’vi in the species is so powerful when activated and reached out to another SOUL that the MAGIC starts to manifest itself showing itself in all its glory.

The importance of this scene is that we, HUMANS, have the same magic inside of us. We can activate our souls and reach out to others and keep such connections alive and vibrant.

Statistics

About 42.6 million American adults over age 45 are believed to suffer from chronic loneliness, according to AARP. But as in any case, the number is probably more than the accounted for.

Psychologists discussed this growing problem at their annual meeting of the American Psychological Association (APA) in Washington, D.C., August 5th.

The researchers also reviewed 70 studies involving more than 3.4 million people to gauge the impact of social isolation, loneliness and living alone on the risk of premature death.

The conclusion:

The effect of the three was equal to or greater than well-known risk factors such as obesity.

According to the U.S. Census Data:

1. 1 in 4 Americans lives alone
2. Over 50% of Americans are unmarried, and
   Marriage rates and the number of children per household are declining
3. Social isolation and loneliness increase the risk of early death more than many other factors

What Is To Be Done?

It’s like in the literary masterpiece by the Russian literary critic Nikolai Chernyshevsky who raised an important question of his time: What Is To Be Done?

We are at the crossroads of many social dilemmas the resolution of which will lead the whole society in this or that direction. I do hope that you don’t want just to end up somewhere in the middle of the gloom and darkness and no-way-out place. But we do need to take the FIRST step in creating our future by being responsible for it. Yes, taking responsibility for your life is the very initial response in any difficult situation.

The European societies are proactively building a social network for the aging population to get together and socialize. But we need to prep our young generation of kids to develop a strong need in social interaction. When children grow with the need to share and build and play with larger groups of peers, we are building the bricks for the precious foundation – their happier life in the years when they retire, when something drastic happens in their lives, or when they need to connect with different social groups.

Yes, doctors can start screening their patients for social isolation, recommend and refer them to social networks that help with their social integration into the society.

Yes, schools should take a more proactive approach in training schoolchildren in social skills.

Yes, we need to think of social options when we are going to retire.

Yes, the local government should invest into spaces that encourage people to gather together, such as recreation centers and community gardens. There’s NOT enough of these.

Yes, reach out to your neighbors who you know are lonely and alone, bring them into the fabric of life. Because when we open up to those who are in need, reach out to them with empathy, the magic is going to happen. We do not need to be AVATAR to exercise our “magic” that is within everyone of us – our ability to reach out and touch another person’s soul.

What needs to be done begins with everyone of us. Let’s lift each other and help us to see and feel and live the most exciting benefits of being connected to each other.

Join In the Conversation – Please RETWEET!

 

Loneliness Is More Hazardous Than Obesity? Important Questions Raised – What Is To Be Done? #HeartThis #AMCoffee https://t.co/XsdmqhBICu pic.twitter.com/aUpZunV4g0

— Celebrate Woman (@DiscoverSelf) August 23, 2017

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