Alone Together

(This is an excerpt from an essay I wrote at the height of the pandemic in late July 2020. At the time my essays appeared daily on Facebook.)

(self portrait)

Loneliness is one of the 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 year on record.

“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 a new post, I hope to be helping relieve some of the isolation all of us feel.

That at least is my intent. If we have to spend so much time alone, maybe we can somehow be alone together.

LINKS (7.30.23):

• Trump Tells Iowa Republicans Not to Take a Chance on DeSantis (WSJ)

• A DeSantis come-from-behind win is looking vanishingly unlikely (Politico)

• GOP Rep. John James slams DeSantis for curriculum comments on slavery: ‘You’ve gone too far’ (The Hill)

• A Reeling DeSantis Takes a Swing at Scott, Now a Top Rival (NYT)

• In fight to lead America’s future, battle rages over its racial past (WP)

• Scott pushes back on DeSantis over Florida curriculum: ‘No silver lining’ in slavery (CNN)

• Trump aide Carlos De Oliveira’s journey from failed witness to defendant (WP)

• New Trump Charges Highlight Long-Running Questions About Obstruction (NYT)

• Judge blocks Arkansas law allowing librarians to be criminally charged over ‘harmful’ materials (AP)

• San Francisco investigating Musk’s Twitter HQ after giant ‘X’ installed on roof (The Hill)

• Biden publicly acknowledges 4-year-old granddaughter (WP)

• America Is Drowning in Packages (Atlantic)

• Heatwave bakes US as heat index soars past 100 degrees (Reuters)

• The Great Arizona Water Grab (Reveal)

• How America’s biggest retailers plan to use technology to catch organized retail theft (CNBC)

• How can America adapt to extreme heat? (Economist)

• Why it's so important to figure out when a vital Atlantic Ocean current might collapse (NPR)

• How a student helped boot the president of Stanford in his freshman year (WP)

• The Misunderstood Reason Millions of Americans Stopped Going to Church (Atlantic)

• Mass shooting near community event leaves 5 injured in Seattle (NBC)

• 'Oppenheimer' and the story behind those who lost their land to the lab (Reuters)

• Why residuals are taking center stage in actors' strike (NPR)

• In repeat bombing of Odessa, Putin deepens economic war on Ukraine (WP)

• Niger coup leader declares himself country’s new president (Financial Times)

• Prigozhin hails Niger coup, touts services (Reuters)

• Party Evacuated Following Reports Of Host Assembling Some Sort Of Activity

  (The Onion)