To the editor:

Loneliness is having a moment. We are reaching epidemic levels of lonesomeness, and why? In a society that is more connected than ever, with smart devices out the wazoo connected to the internet, metaverse, the ether, to infinity and beyond, why still the constant barrage of loneliness? Loneliness is a peculiar notion. It can be felt in a crowded room, and then be relieved when alone and vice versa. It lurks in that negative internalized feeling we express in the sorrow of isolation.

Is everyone having a mental health crisis? Perhaps. More services are certainly needed. The isolation of the COVID-19 era became quite comfortable for many and harmed many more. CNN tells me loneliness is as bad as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Who are we, these lonely isolated people? We are husbands and wives. Teens and tweens. Children, too. We all barely speak to one another between the rituals of pickup and drop-off. We take pride in our hard work, yet the same tired script leaves our lips day after day. To quote the iconic lines of “Star Wars:” “I love you.” I know.”

People must communicate needs to one another, yes, emotional needs too. It’s the first thing we do from the moment we are born. Babies cry out. The smallest among us instinctively know how to use their lungs, the fullness of the voice to connect with caregivers (and occasional strangers on airplanes). As we sink into the wisdom of age it seems our voice retracts from that bellowing infant’s cry to an internal whisper. We stop sharing. Newton’s First Law of Motion tells us that an object at rest, like our cry for connection, tends to stay at rest. Let your lungs breathe tender words and put your voice in motion. Perhaps what we need is presence with fullness of intention as the antidote to our collective isolation. Oh so simple, even a newborn can do it.

Sarah SmallCarter

Fort Dodge