Chronic loneliness is a real pandemic tearing through our society with little hope to improve. When you think of social isolation you might not think that you’re a victim of it; after all, you see people all the time when you’re out and about. Getting groceries, going out to eat, driving around, or going to public get-togethers. Unfortunately, the way we interact with these social structures in the modern day makes them socially isolating.
Perhaps you just use self-checkout for the convenience of it. You probably also just get fast food, sparing perhaps three sentences of dialogue with the employee who took your order. You don’t really see people on the road but instead you see the faceless cars they drive. Even public get togethers are becoming less and less social! Need tickets? Buy them online. Want to know what’ll be there before you arrive? There’ll be a list of vendors or expectations listed online. You don’t even have to speak to a soul while you’re there unless you actively pursue it, like buying something directly from a vendor. But why do that? If it’s something like a convention, you’ll certainly find the products you wanted from it online or sold by scalpers online. It’s a terribly isolating world we live in.
An anonymous individual whom I conducted a short interview with made clear they did not realize this was an issue in the first place. “I guess I never thought about it,” the student stated after I had spoken with them on the issue. We were sitting at a study table burning time. “It’s not that easy to talk to people like that. I just never have a reason to talk to someone like that, I guess.” This individual was my third attempt at an interview; the other two I tried this with looked visibly uncomfortable, so I let them be.
Social isolation might seem like a non-issue or something you don’t suffer from, but just a hundred years ago people were effectively swimming in socialization. Have you ever wondered why elderly people are so outgoing or willing to ask for help? I wondered this myself. I currently work as a phone tech who assists older folks with fixing their phones and I’m always shocked by how social they are. When I see someone over the age of 70 they’ll typically be very outgoing and ask questions; they’ll want to talk about fun things that they’re planning on doing afterwards. But anyone younger than that? Words are knives to them. They’ll appear uncomfortable, as if I were breaking some ethical code by attempting to socialize. How did we come to this? It likely doesn’t matter anymore; we are far gone.
But there is hope! Going to a college like Century is one of the last ways we can get genuine human interaction in the modern day. Instead of driving past faceless cars, you’ll be walking past your fellow students. Instead of giving that drive-through person the silent treatment, you might consider eating in the cafeteria with someone you’ve never met. The faculty and staff at Century College are literally paid to talk to you, so take maximum advantage of that! You could even use some of the entertainment facilities on campus, or commune with those who share appreciation for the same things you do by joining a club! Embrace the social aspects of a college campus and cure yourself of this modern affliction.
