Loneliness and COVID-19

American Thinker.com ^ | August 12, 2021 | Michael Curtis

[Kaslin]

The pandemic COVID-19 has affected our lives in many different ways. Social distancing, lockdowns, and physical isolation have highlighted the human need for intimate connection and good friends and the desire to be part of a shared community. Loneliness occurs when the connections we need are larger than the connections we have. The impact of COVID has drawn attention to the problem of loneliness, a phenomenon usually understated because it was associated with shame. Understandably, it was not often the subject of conversation. Loneliness is a subjective factor, indicating a feeling of lack of connection but it is different from aloneness or solitude, and also often hidden and not admitted even to family members. It can manifest itself in different ways.

Loneliness has also manifested itself historically. This is apparent from the Epic of Gilgamesh. The 4,000-year-old Sumerian epic is the tale of a hero who is arrogant, self-absorbed, and lonely, yearning for a true friend. “Part of me is missing, never before has loneliness oppressed me so, a friend is what I need to make these sorrows end.”

In modern terms those sorrows can be felt by everyone to some extent on a wide scale. That would include lack of companionship and meaningful relations, loss of a close relationship, a feeling of being left out or not being cared for, the lack of a social network , lack of authenticity in relationships, lack of a human touch, an act which slows down heartbeat and blood pressure and triggers the release of oxytocin, a hormone associated with empathy and relationship building, among other matters. That touch will be absent by the rules concerning COVID being made in the U.S. and elsewhere for maintaining social distancing and hugging.

[Gay State Conservative]

There can be no doubt that there have been many suicides in this country in the last 18 months caused by the social isolation of the Rat Party lockdowns. Of course even if a respected researcher releases a report acknowledging this the Amazon Compost and MSLSD will give the report a good leaving alone.

[napscoordinator]

True. Quite a few have made deals already. Plead guilty and do probation or little jail time. I’m sure most will eventually go this route.

[sauropod]

Bkmk

[livius]

The destruction of all group activities, ranging from going to church to playing a sport, as a result of these insane Covid restrictions has been a disaster that is going to affect people, especially children, for years into the future. People have been taught to be afraid of each other, that self-preservation requires isolation, and that they themselves are potentially lethal threats to others simply by breathing.

And what about children being forced now to spend their most formative years never being able to see a smile, understand clearly what is being said to them or make themselves understood, or even run and breathe freely because of the masks they are forced to wear by order of the state?

We’re going to be in big trouble. We already are in big trouble, and it will get bigger every day that we live under this paralyzing, isolating tyranny.

[palmer]

We'll find out easily enough. In Sweden which had pretty terrible COVID results (compared to the rest of Scandanavia), they never closed schools or masked kids. In France all the kids have masks. Should be easy to do studies comparing the mental health changes, social skills, etc to prepandemic scrores.

[roving]

My place of employment never shut down. I didn’t stop going to places I had always gone too. The only thing different was wearing a stupid mask