How Loneliness Is Tearing America Apart
America is suffering an epidemic of loneliness.
According to a recent large-scale survey from the health care provider Cigna, most Americans suffer from strong feelings of loneliness and a lack of significance in their relationships. Nearly half say they sometimes or always feel alone or “left out.” Thirteen percent of Americans say that zero people know them well. The survey, which charts social isolation using a common measure known as the U.C.L.A. Loneliness Scale, shows that loneliness is worse in each successive generation.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/23/opinion/loneliness-political-polarization.html
Wanted to see what others thought of this editorial by the president of the American Enterprise Institute. Chutzpah on his part, I believe.
Now, the loneliness issue may not seem too serious to some people but, this article basically describes me. All I do is go to work, workout three times a week, go home, watch TV, and repeat. My best friend lives in Florida so we only actually see each other like one or two times a year. I have no other friends IRL otherwise. I get very anxious upon entering into social situations on my own and unless it's a family obligation I generally do not feel like participating in them. I know it's generally fine once I do join and that people are accepting of me when I do join in, but it's easier to just say no, even though I always regret it after I don't go. YES, I know it's not logical!
I think part of this has to do with the way that social media has brainwashed me into thinking that I cannot have fun at these seemingly unimportant, mundane, money-costing events that I actually have access to and that all different people I follow on social media and some friends from HS/College are jet-setting around the world to fancy conferences and exotic locations. Logically I know that these people have way more problems than I do, and that they are just putting their best foot forward online to make it seem like they are living it up, but it's tough when I barely do things that are even remotely picturesque. YES, I know it's not logical!
Where I work it's mostly old ladies who are married with families. (Even the single girls have kids and I'm not ready for that). So yeah there are large bouts of time in the early evenings or at night when I am watching TV and feel pretty lonely. I just deleted all my online dating apps because the people I "met" there were full of scams, flakes, losers, and bitches. I never really got a connection from any of the dates/meets as I'm the type of person it takes time to warm up to. So once those apps started going the route of picture perfect/catchy headlines A+. People like me were finished. The sparks never happened on a first date and I don't think I've ever felt them. EVER! YES, I know it's not logical!
Now, I'm no incel, I'm not suicidal, I don't hate the world. I love life in general and always have a smile on my face/joking around. I'm eternally optimistic that things will work out because when I do attempt to do stuff they generally do. I have a car, an apartment, a pet, a paycheck from a job I generally enjoy, a (pretty useless) degree, no jail record. I've kept myself out of doing drugs and drinking alcohol for all my life and I live a pretty clean, healthy and comfortable lifestyle otherwise... I don't know how the heck this has happened to me but I'm trying to sort it all out and it's not as easy as going out or joining clubs.
So it ain't just the angry ones.