The Loneliness Epidemic (online)

Loneliness is as bad for our bodies as 15 daily cigarettes. Even before the pandemic forced so many of us into our homes and behind our screens, Canada was a nation of lonely folks. In 2019, nearly a quarter of Canadians said they experienced social isolation and loneliness. By 2021, that number had climbed to 35 percent. Join us in late November and let's talk about it! Watch a few or all of the videos and read the articles. Be ready for an insightful discussion.

## Details

Videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8pa506BFk4 2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVPc46GFq-4 3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udRNgM4x2W4 4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aR1tTwaRxFk 5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSbxMkRYb6o 6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCFz7Zm2UjY 7. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vB59ZVTKdc 8. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J509AZl7bHY 9. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vB59ZVTKdc

Reading:
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/30/opinion/loneliness-epidemic-america.html 2. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/02/well/mind/loneliness-isolation-surgeon-general.html 3. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/14/opinion/treating-loneliness.html

Questions: 1. a) When was the loneliest time of your life, and why? b)When was the least lonely time of your life, and why? 2. Do you believe there is a loneliness "epidemic" in modern society? If so, what has caused it? 3. In an age of greater connection than ever through technology, why are human connections so difficult and unsatisfying? 4. There are a number of reasons why loneliness is so ubiquitous now. We're more mobile, for starters. And we also have more technology that can dilute or substitute higher-quality interactions. To what do you attribute the loneliness epidemic? How has mobility, technology, or something else impacted your ability to make durable connections? 5. Some of Dr. Murthy's patients have shared that they don't have anyone who they can authentically talk to or feel seen by in their life. As one of Dr. Murthy's friends put it, "To be loved is not enough. You have to both be loved and to be known." Do you feel known? What keeps you from opening up? 6. To address the loneliness epidemic, Dr. Murthy says we will have to ask deeper questions about life, its purpose, and our obligations to one another. What question do you think is part of the solution? 7. Can we maintain our level of technological and scientific advancement and take care of our basic human emotional needs? Will we manage to balance things better in the future, or will we have to make some tough choices?