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An Epidemic of Loneliness
The hidden condition with tragic consequences
If you’re feeling lonely, you’re not alone. It seems like more and more I read about “the loneliness epidemic” or stories about how lonely people are. We hear about how lonely the elderly are, or about how the latest mass shooter was “a loner who kept mostly to himself.”
Just about everyone experiences feelings of loneliness from time to time. It is an unsettling, disquieting feeling, as though there is no one in the universe who knows we are alive or cares. It is a feeling of isolation, or as Thoreau once wrote a life of “quiet desperation.”
Loneliness, as most of us know, is not the same as being alone, and it has little to do with the solitude most of us seek from time to time. Solitude can be refreshing and invigorating. It can give us the breath of fresh air we so badly need and a respite from the daily demands placed on us. Loneliness can crush the soul.
What the statistics say
According to research performed by Cross River Therapy, 52% of Americans report feeling lonely, while 47% say their relationships with others aren’t meaningful. A whopping 57% of Americans, single or not, say they eat all their meals alone.
