[Ever since COVID and the church compliance of isolation the fabric of our fellowship with other humans degrades. The epidemic of isolation and loneliness is crushing.]
HEALTHY LIVING
“Loneliness has been dubbed the new smoking by health experts, including the Surgeon General of America, Dr. Vivek Murthy, who says that loneliness is as bad for our well–being as smoking fifteen cigarettes daily. The effects are dire. People who are more socially isolated feel the effects of stress more. They are three times more likely to be depressed and also at greater risk for high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and overall poorer heart health.
Yet, according to a Gallup survey, 17 percent of American adults answered yes to the question of whether they felt lonely most of the past day. Unfortunately, as much as 24 percent of young adults answered yes to the same question. Our elderly are also no strangers to the pangs of loneliness; with one in ten of them also answering yes to that question.
As adults, creating and sustaining friendships outside of the typical work and family routines can become a challenge. We lose the natural connections that develop from running into our playmates in our neighborhood and seeing the same faces in school. As the science shows, it takes a literal toll on our hearts.”
Read how we need places beyond work and home where we interact freely and casually in our communities
HEALTHY LIVING
The Importance of Third Spaces Amidst America’s Social Isolation Epidemic
by Ebele Mogo, DrPH, Blue Zones:“Loneliness has been dubbed the new smoking by health experts, including the Surgeon General of America, Dr. Vivek Murthy, who says that loneliness is as bad for our well–being as smoking fifteen cigarettes daily. The effects are dire. People who are more socially isolated feel the effects of stress more. They are three times more likely to be depressed and also at greater risk for high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and overall poorer heart health.
Yet, according to a Gallup survey, 17 percent of American adults answered yes to the question of whether they felt lonely most of the past day. Unfortunately, as much as 24 percent of young adults answered yes to the same question. Our elderly are also no strangers to the pangs of loneliness; with one in ten of them also answering yes to that question.
As adults, creating and sustaining friendships outside of the typical work and family routines can become a challenge. We lose the natural connections that develop from running into our playmates in our neighborhood and seeing the same faces in school. As the science shows, it takes a literal toll on our hearts.”
Read how we need places beyond work and home where we interact freely and casually in our communities
irritate you try:
in but shadow blocks my email 
engine only.
we can do is to sit and listen 
or just hug 
another of the neglected.