Loneliness epidemic

[innominesatanas44]

How much worse do you think it will become ? What will be the consequences on society?

 

[derpyderpins]

It worries me.

We're losing our humanity. We don't trust. We don't connect.

For the most part, people need connections. "I am human and I need to be loved, just like everybody else does." Yet more and more people are giving up on it, or assuming they're one of the rare exceptions when it's extremely unlikely.

The only way for the loneliness epidemic to get better is for a certain percentage of people to decide it matters and that they're going to try to work on it. They have to reach out, trust, and be trustworthy. It feels like all of society is heading towards some tipping point, like pressure is building up. I worry we won't find motivation to do better until everything is really a mess.

The biggest issue is comfort. Basic comfort has become so widespread that it has thrown off our analysis of when to take action, in many aspects of life. Trust, connection, actually trying to succeed in something, stepping outside, showing people who you are . . . These can all result in pain, they have potential downside. If we have empty, meaningless, but ultimately safe life available . . . Turns out we choose the safe option a good bit of the time, not realizing it is slowly, pathetically draining us of the only stuff that makes this existence worthwhile.

 

[Pluto]