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All the lonely people

ucobserver.org

11–20 of 220 posts

Re: All the lonely people

#11
post #6

One institution not mention (and given the publication, I find it a bit odd) is the local churches. It is one of the large connection points that have started to fade. The amount of social welfare the churches supported has not been replaced.

This is something that needs to be addressed. We are becoming more secular over time, but we aren't replacing the communities that churches create with secular equivalents, at least not on the same scale. Feeling connected is important, we really need to work on that.

Germany has the Vereinswesen, which are small clubs around a common hobby (such as shooting, football, gymnastics, orchestra, basketball, etc.) that are usually part of a larger Verband, which may be state or country-wide like the DFB (German Football Federation), the DBB (German Basketball Federation), DSB (German Shooting and Archery Federation), or the BDMV (Association of German Music Societies).

That could be a model.

Re: All the lonely people

#12

I don't know Canada well enough yet, but I can tell you what life used to be like in the UK in my mum's time as a kid, around 55 years back in the North East of England. All families lived near each other and you lived near your school. You'd walk home past your nan's house and stop in there or at your uncles. Maybe when you got home your mum was out at the shops - ok go to your nan's a few yards away. Or just go to…

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Re: All the lonely people

#13
post #6

One institution not mention (and given the publication, I find it a bit odd) is the local churches. It is one of the large connection points that have started to fade. The amount of social welfare the churches supported has not been replaced.

This is something that needs to be addressed. We are becoming more secular over time, but we aren't replacing the communities that churches create with secular equivalents, at least not on the same scale. Feeling connected is important, we really need to work on that.

I work at a community radio station, and I definitely see this as filling the void in my life that a community church serves for others (and for us, music is quite literally a religion).

I wonder how many people can answer yes to the questions:

1. Do you believe there is something out there bigger than yourself? 2. Do you interface with others in your community, connected in some fashion to this Greater Power?

I feel lucky to have this community radio, I wonder what other examples people have out there.

Re: All the lonely people

#16
The more I read about this, the more weird I think I must be. I've always preferred being alone. My time in San Francisco was utter hell. I couldn't get a moment away from people and noise. Now I live in complete isolation. My nearest neighbor is two miles down a dirt road. I only go into town to stock up on foods, which I vacuum seal and stuff in the deep freeze (enough to last me 3 months at a time). I've never been happier than I am now.

Re: All the lonely people

#18
post #7
post #5

HN is all about technology, but I think many people here don't realize that technology is about access . Aluminum is the third most common element on Earth, but up until fairly recently, it was prized above gold and other precious metals because it was seemingly so rare. People just didn't have the technology to access it in large quantities. And just as someone stranded at sea can die of thirst, so too is it paradox…

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Re: All the lonely people

#19
post #5

HN is all about technology, but I think many people here don't realize that technology is about access . Aluminum is the third most common element on Earth, but up until fairly recently, it was prized above gold and other precious metals because it was seemingly so rare. People just didn't have the technology to access it in large quantities. And just as someone stranded at sea can die of thirst, so too is it paradox…

Fucking kill yourself.

Re: All the lonely people

#20
post #2

Again, something my grandfather taught me, was that it was important to walk around your neighborhood and say "hi" to the people who lived there. He called it "Being neighborly." We also, periodically but not on a particular schedule, put together a block BBQ where people can bring food, or not, and share a moment together to talk about what is going in or what they are worried about etc. Generally people respond wel…

Are you neighborly with the homeless people and beggars in your neighborhood?

This is a genuine question. How do you interact with people who live on your street but do not have shelter?

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