Look up.
“Loneliness is like hunger, a signal we’re lacking something for survival.”
— Surgeon General Vivek Murthy
Dear Friends,
Some time ago at a party, a teenage girl asked to see my son’s phone. Once she had it, she quickly opened Instagram from his account and proceeded to “like” all the posts on her profile.
In essence, she was saying, “I’m less interested in getting to know you and more interested in using you to enhance my reputation.” This isn't her fault; it’s simply how she’s been conditioned. “Your worth is the number of likes you get, so do whatever it takes to get more.”
Former US President Obama remarked at the DNC on the current state of society:
“We chase the approval of strangers on our phones; we build all manner of walls and fences around ourselves and then wonder why we feel so alone.”
And lonely, in fact, we are.
The 2024 American Social Capital Survey, based on about 6,500 interviews with American adults, reveals a steady rise in loneliness, particularly among those with a high school education or less.
For example, 24 percent of Americans with a high school education or less report having no close friends — zero.
Across the world, one thing is clear: we are spending more time online and less time with each other… and we are growing increasingly lonely. Joe Rogan may be engaging, but he is not our friend, nor does he care to be, nor do most influencers. There is nothing wrong with podcasts, but they are not friendships.
Both in the US and globally, we are becoming LESS connected to one another … and what are we doing instead? Chasing the approval of strangers we’ve never met — and likely will never meet.
Perhaps the most radical act we can commit to today is to take the time to connect more deeply with people — on the phone if necessary, on Zoom if it’s the best option, and in person whenever possible.
It might also mean that when we’re out at a café or standing in line, instead of looking down at our phones, we occasionally choose to LOOK UP.
Who knows what we might see? (I tried this while writing this article at a cafe, and met a lovely elderly man, an immigrant from Hungary, and his deaf dog. It was not long conversation, but a connection.)
Today may we remember to look up, to be present, and to choose depth and human connection when possible. There is usually the opportunity if we look.
Blessings,
SOREN
Offerings
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