Only The Lonely.
Hi,
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A good morning to you, whoever and wherever you are.
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It is a strange and amazing thing, this business of reaching out anywhere online, in such an easy way.
I read now that because of the pressures of work, and the difficulties of meeting people socially, many people are now finding their partners online, because it is quick and easy.
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The whole style of our lives is changing now….and so fast!
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I did find the results of a recent survey to be quite sad and very worrying.
Many different people were asked if they would describe themselves as lonely.
I expected that old people would be able to describe themselves that way because of infirmity, reduced incomes, the death of partners and contemporaries and resulting social isolation etc.
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I was very surprised to find that it was young people who were the loneliest group.
A great many of them said that they had no real ‘face to face’ personal friends and that they felt very lonely.
Their only social life was actually online, with people they had not met at all.
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This is not good, because how can you learn to interact easily, if you do not get any practice at a young age.
My God, it is bad enough being a teenager in the first place, never mind without getting any practice and interaction.
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Most of us are gauche and we need to learn with people of our own age, make mistakes, and look foolish while doing so.
Having hundreds of friends on Facebook or whatever is not the same thing at all in my opinion.
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Because everyone is feeling there is a lot of ‘stranger danger’ out there, they want to keep their children safe from harm….in the house….but how do children learn ‘street smarts’ if they are never allowed to go out and have adventures and learn.
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I think that it is probably necessary for young boys to take risks and do dangerous and silly things, in order to become rounded men, but possibly all of that urge is being channelled into ‘safe’ adventures by playing interminable computer games etc.
Perhaps the first time that children can begin to be independent now, will be when they go to university, so then they might have to learn a lot of important things very quickly, at a much later age, and perhaps with no one to get trusted advice from.
No one they can be sure is fully concerned with nothing but their happiness and welfare.
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Or perhaps I am entirely wrong.
I often am!
Who can say.
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Have a good one.
LOL
J x
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loneliness is a state of “feeling” not “being”.
you cant interact online and feel more interested / inspired by some. and you can be in the middle of a party talking to 20 people and still feeling lonely.
i think a lot of us are under tonnes of pressure to be everywhere all the time doing everything and impressing everyone. that’s the way i feel anyway, i’m at work online and offline in and out of meetings since i was 18, talking to this person and that, and I don’t think i’m lacking in social interaction or capabilities to engage properly in a social scene.
But i also lead an online presence that moves me away at times from physical worlds and more onto virtual ones. the best education i got on a few subjects came from online interactions exclusively, having an unprecedented amount of information presented in a very personal and approachable manner. something not very possible in the physical world where personality clashes, timing and the like stand in the way of gaining any insight or info (about any subject, really).
i think the young groups tested exhibit loneliness because they feel under pressure to compete with the rest of the world. I know from experience, society at times demands that you be a superstar in all fields and areas, and sometimes the young retreat online because it’s their “private” space where they can follow interests and be / act in ways they think reflect their actual interested and personalities- away from parents or judgmental standards.
sorry that went on a big long for a wee comment box
i just always think it’s interesting to bypass these findings and look at the bigger picture. my sister (in the 16-21 box) sometimes when reading articles about the socially removed youth of today says, “I can be talking to ten people and hearing them talk back, but in reality we’re not communicating and I still feel lonely and bored”.
and there are my two cheap canadian cents
have a great weekend xx
nelly.