Mothers’ Union
A neighbour recently expressed concern for people in our community who seem to be lonely. This was after I had read an article in the Chronicle Herald about the prevalence of “kinlessness,” and after my reading The Power of Connection by Lucy Hannah, editor for Mothers Union. It appeared in the Spring 2023 edition of the Mothers’ Union magazine Connected. She writes;
“Loneliness can affect anyone. In fact, the picture we may have of the ‘typical’ lonely person may not, statistically, reflect our assumption. Research has shown that young people are the most affected by loneliness and that those living in urban areas are often lonelier than those in rural communities. * From the elderly widow in a rural community, to the twenty-something struggling to make ends meet in a tiny urban apartment, there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ for loneliness.
What is loneliness? Loneliness is very much a feeling – a sense of absence wanting to be filled, a desperation for connection, It is not the same as ‘being alone’ – some people enjoy solitude, and, as we know, the presence of people does not preclude loneliness. Our common experience is not always that ‘common,’ because each of us has our own stories. For instance, some will have lost more than others during the pandemic, especially regarding the world of work. Still others will have found positive things to encourage them.”
In the C2C Journal, Aaron Nava, a freelance writer and communications advisor based in Toronto, writes;
“In a digitized world where you can connect instantly with almost anybody…it seems hard to imagine anyone could ever feel alone. The loneliness epidemic is worse among young people, despite all the technology that should make social interaction easier. Researchers say social media makes young people feel isolated and left out, giving the impression that others are living better lives, and that can increase anxiety and depression.”
TV screens and streaming apps mean no one really needs to go out to see the movies anymore. Researchers have found that the more time one spends on Facebook, the lonelier one feels. Other platforms are even worse.
For older Canadians, the risks of isolation are particularly acute. According to the National Institute on Ageing (NIA), a think-tank at Toronto Metropolitan University,
Social isolation has been linked to poorer cognitive function and a 50 percent higher risk of dementia, not to mention a significantly higher risk of stroke, heart disease and cancer mortality. It can increase anxiety and depression.
“Social health is just as important as physical health.” That statement was in a March issue of The Chronicle Herald about aging and the gradual decline of community and family involvement as people age. That decline can spark a sense of loneliness to a degree that was never felt before.
Samir Sinha, co-chair of the National Institute on Ageing (NIA), says the strain loneliness puts on the public health-care system warrants government intervention. The NIA has called for a “national strategy” to address the issue. In fact, the Canadian government has made millions of dollars available, such as the New Horizons program, to fund programs to help people socialize, to help them make friends again.
Many of the social and cultural ties that once brought people together have frayed: church attendance, volunteerism, and service club membership.
In 2019 the Angus Reid Institute study found that Canadians who are more religiously active are less likely to feel social isolation, and Ray Pennings, co-founder of Cardus in Hamilton, highlights the role played by family, faith and, to a lesser extent, community groups. He also pinpoints individual responsibility: “We all have a neighbour. Yet only 55 percent of us have engaged with our neighbour in the last month. So it starts very close to home.” He goes on to say, “When you live life where almost everything starts with the pronoun ‘I’ instead of ‘we,’ you end up walking through life alone. When you live on the flipside, with your primary identity in a group with a set of relationships and sense of belonging, life’s challenges are taken on together.”
Mothers’ Union is one of those groups, working together for common goals, supporting each other as they provide Christian Care for others, working for gender justice, peace and safety.
Winter can be isolating for many people – staying inside more, not wanting to go out for a myriad of reasons. But now summer is approaching, and with Covid mostly behind us, warmer weather invites us to step outside and engage with the people and world around us. Summer is a great time to rebuild some of those lost connections, to erode loneliness, to celebrate our relationships with those we know and could know. So rekindle that Book Club, join a walking group, start a games club, offer lunching-together opportunities, learn something new!
Each community and each faith community is unique and their members are blessed with unique skill-sets that can open up those all-important connections. Simply ask: How is my church connected to my community? What ideas do we have to share?
*The BBC Loneliness Experiment 2018 and the Campaign to End Loneliness.
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash
