Alone Together: The Loneliness Epidemic

We live in a world that is constantly on the move. Rushing to finish the next chore, reaching the next deadline, accomplishing the next target, or constantly scrolling. We rarely realise, but this bustle and perpetual busyness often end up as loneliness. It has become so prevalent across the globe today that experts have termed it as the ‘loneliness epidemic’. The WHO has now recognised loneliness as a public health concern and global health threat.

Our lives are surrounded by noise, yet we always yearn to be heard and held. We silently carry a weight in our hearts, without realising the irony that this is a collective feeling. A major reason for this widespread loneliness is the gradual disappearance of true community in the blur of our fast-paced lives. It is one thing to acknowledge solitude as a part of life, but this extended isolation from people has a deep impact on our lives.

Spaces that used to be a constant source of support and belonging - Neighbourhoods, workspaces, clubs, friends, extended family have become increasingly achievement-oriented and individualistic. These collective spaces have almost completely eroded. Being in a community was deeply woven into the fabric of everyday life earlier. We did not have to schedule social interactions. They were simply a part of our routine, be it borrowing something from neighbours or sitting together with family for a chat over tea.

In the hunger to triumph in the rat-race, we have lost out on the essence of humanity. Every ‘How are you?’ is met with a hollow, half-hearted ‘I’m good’ that everybody can see through, but none have the time to hear the true answer. Most people prioritise chasing goals over fostering relationships with fellow humans only to find their lives feel empty. The fulfilment that comes from surrounding oneself with genuine connections is something that people are losing on the way to their idea of material success.

Are we even realizing that so much of our lives are online that real-life interactions have become only artificial and surface level? In the search for continous stimulation through technology, we have all just become emotionally detached individuals, spending every minute of our free time on a device that does little to bring happiness in our otherwise regimented, droning lives. We do long for a real conversation behind the mask of perfect pictures and packed calendars.

This problem of loneliness has grown tenfold after the pandemic and consequent social isolation. But the very incidence of such a period can be a wake up call for us to realise the way we are spending our lives before it is too late. We can choose to respond with awareness. Of our situation, of our predicament, of our loneliness. And we can choose to turn it around. In a time where everything pushes us to move fast, we can decide to consciously build community. Maybe the best choice we have is to slow down. Pause. Reach out. And maybe in the process, we can finally heal.