Loneliness

“Loneliness, is such a sad affair….” Carpenters’ Superstar…captures our current mood, deep in the wood of an unprecedented pandemic…to the point that Japan, UK and other industrial countries have appointed “Minister of Loneliness”.

I was surprised to see young women and men in these staggering World Economic Forum stats, right along side the elderly, as otherwise expected.

Social Media addressed the extent of the problem e.g. hate crime on the rise etc… but cannot and should not be the solution.

We are.

” and I can’t hardly wait,….to be with you again….” the lyrics continue….

I saw my old sister yesterday over lunch after six months. She got her shots, and could now travel, accompanied by her son who took time off from his route in the hospital (he himself saw so many COVID-19 deaths).

“don’t you remember you told me you loved me baby..”

Older Asian people were pushed, punched or otherwise crushed under the weight of this pandemic.

Leave it on their own, they would have phased out from bustling smokestacks to library book stacks.

But the worst seems to come at the end of the pursuit of happiness for more than half a million among us.

So much for the promise of America, of the Promised Land and Land of the Free (to push people to the brink, “out of the way, it’s my right of way…”

Of all the years I have been in this country, the one thing I notice as “change” albeit gradual, is that people no longer yield when you put on your signal light to switch lanes. They instead pushed pedal to the medal to provoke a counter-reaction, a nuisance as opposed to an opportunity to be a Good Samaritan….(church signs held high at the street corner….Jesus is the answer….traffic honking….but behind them, were side-by-side homeless tents…).

“what to say, to make you come again, come back to me again, and play your sad guitar…”

Minister of Loneliness.

The longer-term consequences of this pandemic.

Survivors’ guilt, compassion fatigue, cabin fever (exacerbated by hate crime ).

All the elements are in play… pent-up demand? Go out and spend. Travel and see 100 places before you die. Reach out and touch someone….AT&T.

More demand for I-phone, eye-wear…for facebook and face-time.

More broadband and fewer connections….Friends dying off and patience runs thin.

May I change lane please……

May I take a walk without having to look over my shoulders every time (for fear of being jumped)?

Can I just be and be left alone “on golden pond”.

Long ago, there was “Suicide hotline”, “substance abuse intervention hotline”, AA meeting and AAA help line…

Today, it’s “Loneliness hotline” at the Ministerial level.

What technology gives, technology takes. More broadband, less connection.

“Loneliness, is such a sad affair…”