Off Course

Loneliness is one of the obvious fellow travelers accompanying the virus as it sloshes over the land. It already was a big problem in American culture, of course, but 2020 is angling to be the loneliest numbered year ever.

“During the beginning of the pandemic, when social distancing and other restrictions were put into place, we found that depression and loneliness were being experienced at considerably heightened rates in the U.S.,” said Molly Rosenberg, lead author of a study in June at Indiana University. “While these restrictions were and continue to be critically important to protecting Americans from the virus, it is clear that the spread and response to the virus has had a tremendous mental health impact on Americans.”

"Many of us feel lonely from time to time and these short-term feelings shouldn’t harm our mental health," says the Mental Health Foundation  "However, the longer the pandemic goes on for, the more these feelings become long-term. Long-term loneliness is associated with an increased risk of certain mental health problems, including depression, anxiety and increased stress.  The impact of long-term loneliness on mental health can be very hard to manage."  

As the months of isolation drag on, some have found ways to cope, but many others have not. It's my impression that social media like Facebook have never been more important in our lives than they are now. Every night, as I write, I hope to be helping relieve some of the isolation all of us feel.

That is my intent.

***

Think about this: Few tasks can be more frustrating than trying to keep the President to stay on message. He seems incapable of doing so.

Once again, he is promoting hydroxychloroquine as a cure for Covid-19, which is a false, dangerous assertion, and he is also promoting conspiracy theories from a doctor who claims DNA from aliens is being used in pharmaceutical production.

Equally disturbing but psychologically revealing is Trump's open jealousy that Dr. Anthony Fauci has much higher approval ratings than he does.

"Nobody likes me," Trump complained at a press briefing yesterday.

Well, at least he got that one right.

I've often written about the danger of conspiracy theories. As opposed to what journalists do -- gather facts, confirm them, and communicate fact-based reports -- the imaginary worlds conjured by conspiracy theorists are complete fantasies.

That we have ended up with a President who endorses such nonsense is a national tragedy. Surrounded by every conceivable expert on any subject that interests him, instead he chooses quackery. What is dangerous about this is there are millions of people who believe him when he speaks.

And that is enough to make a normally sane, reasonable person feel lonely indeed.

So, the following song is dedicated to all lonely people, but most especially Donald Trump:

One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do
Two can be as bad as one
It's the loneliest number since the number one

No is the saddest experience you'll ever know
Yes, it's the saddest experience you'll ever know

'Cause one is the loneliest number that you'll ever do
One is the loneliest number, whoa-oh, worse than two

It's just no good anymore since you went away
Now I spend my time just making rhymes of yesterday

One is the loneliest number
One is the loneliest number
One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do

--Three Dog Night

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