Is loneliness the plague of the western world?

Question

Are the westerners lonely. Does the concept of capitalism and birth rates make it inevitable? Is India falling into the same trap?

Answer 1

Interesting question.... I would think that all countries have those whom suffer loneliness. It is just the nature of humanity. Having needs and not always having fulfillment...

Answer 2

I think that it might not be a sense of loneliness as much as it is more like isolation, but I mean isolation in physical terms rather than technological terms. The Internet has drawn people together and created brand-new communities with individuals who might not have otherwise met. Example: this forum.

However, the economic realities of how communities, particularly ones in the US have evolved, has meant spreading out and physical isolation. Whereas 150 years ago, cities and towns were tightly knit, with the business community concentrated in city cores and the transportation was a lot slower and allowed for more human contact as people's paths crossed via horse, buggy or by walking.

Now, in the US, there are long miles of superhighways with people traveling in their enclosed vehicles between mini-malls that are far from the retail core. People live in subdivisions surrounded by farmland, and are in isolated pockets.

Major primary social interactions now are only at the workplace, school and to a limited extent, neighbors, and then any other social activities (clubs, associations, sports teams, etc). Most Americans do not have any idea who their neighbors are - which is a frightening statistic.

Enter in technology on the other side and people are on their computers and while they might be interacting with people elsewhere on the Internet, the person at the computer isn't interacting with the other people in the household.

Humans crave human contact, both in social form and physical form. The physical form can manifest itself in direct eyecontact, touching and having a visual connection in the same space. I think that has a lot to do with the mind/body spiritual connection and we need to be present physically to have that need be fulfilled.

I do think that the social needs are being met, in a different format than 150 years ago, but our physical loneliness is becoming a problem now.

The other part of this question I wanted to address was the question about falling birth rates. Why does everyone think that this is such a bad thing? We already have more people on this planet than what it can support resource-wise. Increasing birth rates will only speed up the rate at which humans will have to face serious resource, energy, climate and environmental issues that will ultimately seal the fate of our species and this world.

Answer 3

I believe that loneliness itself, as a 'thing' is the closest thing to evil that we have on this planet. It drives people crazy, to despair and destruction. Even to think about being or becoming lonely makes you more sad than you could ever have imagined. Think that you have no-one in the world. You feel as if you have no purpose. Loneliness makes you bored with the world. Everything seems mediocre. It is a killer, but you die so slowly. You feel like you have sunk into the abyss of hell itself.

Answer 4

i'm sure loneliness is present everywhere. it's part of the "human condition" where people feel themselves separate from nature and their fellow beings. this feeling of separation is thought to stem from having a bit too much ego (left brain?) development. it is said that this phenomenon is especially prevalent in post industrial cultures, such as ours. hypermaterialism, greed, competition, etc. tend to breed selfishness and self protection. thus, that feeling of having to "go it on your own". a more balanced way of being could soften the loneliness a bit i think. ;-) the openhearted and compassionate probably feel less alone. and, those who are in touch with "other realities" and the "beings" who inhabit them, have an endless supply of friends. ;-) while western "doctors" may view that thinking as a bit schiz., other cultures, far wiser than this one, have known of, and benefitted from this other reality for millenia.

Answer 5

i think that it is. Because in western, wiht a high standard of living, they have a lot of electronics that create them virtual realities. Actually they can have the feeling that they do/are what ever they want, and they start to enjoy this; the interhuman relation are not so "powerful" as they were, and especially the fact that having fun means alcohool, drugs and sex. The first 2 "help" us to forget reality and sex at first date looks like we are primates...

Answer 6

Who's lonely? Are you lonely? I'm not lonely!

I love how people make all kinds of excuses to negate what we have in America. It's not our fault that your government and society have not worked things out. Now stop annoying us, I have things to do and people to meet.

Answer 7

youre only as lonley as you allow your self to be. sometimes even being in a crowd of 500 people you will feal lonley..its not a matter of people being around it.. its a matter of how u react to those people. i know some people who are never alone. despite the fact that no one is around. in the west however the human intraction is not as much as it is in the east..or rather India.

Answer 8

its not really a "west" thing. and it certainly doesn't relate in any way to capitalism, nor your bashing of it. With that said, loneliness sucks. big time.

Answer 9

I think loneliness is a universal. In Buddhism, you are not real, let alone anyone else.

Answer 10

I am not lonely. In fact, I very much enjoy having some time to myself.