I find that the real problems with loneliness are not a reliance on social media, not the indifference of family members, not necessarily shyness either but the reluctance to do anything about it. In the olden days you could go into the pub. Within days even, you could become a member of that particular pub club. It wasn’t even necessary to drink alcohol. That form of sociability has dwindled due to people drinking more at home, a direct form of ensuring loneliness. There are so many charity shops and organisations crying out for supporters. When I suggested to a lady who was complaining about how lonely she was that she joined one of these organisations, if only for two or three hours a week, the response was “ No, I couldn’t do that”.
Then there are many clubs and social groups that you could join. In Britain, The Good Companions clubs hold regular, sometimes daily in some areas, meetings and they even send coaches round to collect members who have mobility problems. The Women’s Institute is an international organisation that have meetings, events, book clubs, lunches, all sorts of social gatherings. If you really don’t want to be a joiner then there are night schools. With all these opportunities to alleviate loneliness, what more can be done? Even libraries, former bastions of enforced silence, now have groups, film clubs, talks by writers and poets. It does not matter what is put in place to alleviate loneliness, nothing will work unless people will take advantage of the opportunities to make new friends and enjoy new experiences.
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts, Yvonne! 😊 I quite agree - I was hoping that by listing some options for those readers that DO want to alleviate loneliness or a lack of friendships in their lives, I may be able to help. I know some people who actually choose loneliness, and others who just don’t know where to go to make new friends. But loneliness is an epidemic and we have to fight it to have greater fulfillment in our lives! I do believe social media plays a role in this, too. There are only so many hours in a day, and if we spend many of those hours on social media, we don’t have time to meet with people face-to-face and build genuine relationships. Thanks again for your insightful response. ☺️
I find that the real problems with loneliness are not a reliance on social media, not the indifference of family members, not necessarily shyness either but the reluctance to do anything about it. In the olden days you could go into the pub. Within days even, you could become a member of that particular pub club. It wasn’t even necessary to drink alcohol. That form of sociability has dwindled due to people drinking more at home, a direct form of ensuring loneliness. There are so many charity shops and organisations crying out for supporters. When I suggested to a lady who was complaining about how lonely she was that she joined one of these organisations, if only for two or three hours a week, the response was “ No, I couldn’t do that”.
Then there are many clubs and social groups that you could join. In Britain, The Good Companions clubs hold regular, sometimes daily in some areas, meetings and they even send coaches round to collect members who have mobility problems. The Women’s Institute is an international organisation that have meetings, events, book clubs, lunches, all sorts of social gatherings. If you really don’t want to be a joiner then there are night schools. With all these opportunities to alleviate loneliness, what more can be done? Even libraries, former bastions of enforced silence, now have groups, film clubs, talks by writers and poets. It does not matter what is put in place to alleviate loneliness, nothing will work unless people will take advantage of the opportunities to make new friends and enjoy new experiences.
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts, Yvonne! 😊 I quite agree - I was hoping that by listing some options for those readers that DO want to alleviate loneliness or a lack of friendships in their lives, I may be able to help. I know some people who actually choose loneliness, and others who just don’t know where to go to make new friends. But loneliness is an epidemic and we have to fight it to have greater fulfillment in our lives! I do believe social media plays a role in this, too. There are only so many hours in a day, and if we spend many of those hours on social media, we don’t have time to meet with people face-to-face and build genuine relationships. Thanks again for your insightful response. ☺️