It didn’t used to be. At least for me and i don’t recall constantly seeing posts on social media about how lonely and sad everyone was or how to make friends. Now every other magazine article is about how lonely everyone is, nobody gets together, and gen Z doesn’t socialize, drink, or have sex.
Why is there such an epidemic of loneliness and why are people content to be lonely rather than socialize?
Why is so hard to connect? Because people having nothing in common anymore? I used to connect with people over books, movies, hobbies, etc. But now it feels increasingly hard to do that. Most folks I meet don’t care about any of that, they just mostly complain about their lives to you or go on political rants about how unfair the world is.
My friends and my dates no longer seem to watch films, or do much of anything other than spend time on social media? I dont’ use social media so I’m pretty ignorant of it all.
Agree with many of the other commenters on the multiple causes of loneliness.
I’ve been fortunate to find community at my Unitarian Universalist church. UUs don’t have an expectation to believe any particular scripture, but instead share a common set of values, the first being every one has inherent worth and dignity. My congregation has people who identify as atheist, Christian, Buddhist, Jewish, Muslim, and several types of pagan. So the focus is on being in community and helping each other grow and achieve their goals. I’ve made good friends through the choir and a young adult group that organizes social activities. UU congregations vary based on their membership, and many stream services virtually so you can check them out before going in person. Here’s a link to find a congregation near you.
You know, I’ve been thinking about going to my local UU church for the last few weeks because I’ve been wanting to find community. I think you just gave me the kick in the butt I need to actually go. Thank you for that.
I grew up in a UU church and it was great, probably one of the healthiest religions to raise a kid in IMO. My old congregation’s general demographic was older, but was religiously diverse like yours.