A Common Problem: Loneliness
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, May 3, 2023, New Surgeon General Advisory Raises Alarm about the Devastating Impact of the Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation in the United States
QUOTE: Today, United States Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released a new Surgeon General Advisory calling attention to the public health crisis of loneliness, isolation, and lack of connection in our country. Even before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately half of U.S. adults reported experiencing measurable levels of loneliness. Disconnection fundamentally affects our mental, physical, and societal health. In fact, loneliness and isolation increase the risk for individuals to develop mental health challenges in their lives, and lacking connection can increase the risk for premature death to levels comparable to smoking daily.
“Our epidemic of loneliness and isolation has been an underappreciated public health crisis that has harmed individual and societal health. Our relationships are a source of healing and well-being hiding in plain sight – one that can help us live healthier, more fulfilled, and more productive lives,” said U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy.UNQUOTE
Headline, Reuters, August 10, 2023, US suicide deaths reached record high in 2022, CDC data shows
QUOTE: The number of people who died by suicide in the U.S. hit an estimated record 49,000 in 2022, a 2.6% increase over the prior year, government data showed on Thursday.
Suicide deaths rose from 48,183 in 2021 to an estimated 49,449 deaths in 2022. UNQUOTE
CDC, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, June 2023, Suicide and Homicide Death Rates Among Youth and Young Adults Aged 10–24: United States, 2001–2021
The second leading cause of death for young people 10 years of age and up is suicide.
Harry Nilsson, of the music group Three Dog Night, wrote the song familiar to many of us, “One Is The Loneliest Number.” “One is the loneliest number that you’ll ever do.”
The Cure
CBN News, July 13, 2023, Top Psychiatrist Says ‘Go Back to Church’ as Loneliness Now a Major US Health Threat
QUOTE: Mental health experts, like psychiatrist Daniel Amen believe social media can prove to be addicting, and therefore predict the problem will only get worse.
“I actually believe we’re on the beginning of a tidal wave of brain and mental health problems in young people, and it’s because we’re more disconnected than ever before, disconnected from our own families because when people are together their faces are buried in their gadgets,” Dr. Amen told CBN News.
“So it’s back to church,” he said. “Go back to church. Get involved. Get involved with groups. We have to go back. And really, no better place to solve it than the church.” UNQUOTE
Two are better than one,
because there is a good reward for their labor together.
For if they fall,
then one will help up his companion.
But woe to him who is alone when he falls
and has no one to help him up.
Also if two lie down together, then they will keep warm;
but how can one keep warm by himself?
And if someone might overpower another by himself,
two together can withstand him.
A threefold cord is not quickly broken.
Benefits of the Life Group Community
Joshua 23:10, “One man from among you can make a thousand flee, for it is the Lord your God who wages war for you, as He told you.”
Leviticus 26:8, “Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight, and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.”
Proverbs 27:17, “Iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.”
Our Challenge
“If there is no communication, then there is no respect. If there is no respect, then there is no caring. If there is no caring, then there is no understanding. If there is no understanding, then there is no compassion. If there is no compassion, then there is no empathy. If there is no empathy, then there is no forgiveness. If there is no forgiveness, then there is no kindness. If there is no kindness, then there is no honesty. If there is no honesty, then there is no love. If there is no love, then God doesn’t reside there. If God doesn’t reside there, then there is no peace. If there is no peace, then there is no happiness. If there is no happiness —-then there IS CONFLICT BECAUSE THERE IS NO COMMUNICATION!” — Shannon L. Alder, Life Coach, Therapist, and Author
Be Lanterns of Hope to a hopeless world. Circa 403 BC, Plato stated, “If we are to have any hope for the future, those who have lanterns must pass them on to others.”
It has been said, “Before you can teach a dog tricks, you must know more than the dog.”
A major benefit of Life Groups is we learn from the Word of God how to propagate hope in forgiveness and eternal life.
For those outside the realm of the Kingdom of God, the future is hopeless. We, the believers in Jesus Christ, have a bright future because we are overcomers by the Blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony.
John 8:12, “Again, Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
1 Peter 3:15, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts. Always be ready to give an answer to every man who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you, with gentleness and fear.”
Testimonies and Questions
What is your story?
Learn to tell your story of the hope that is within you
John White
John N. White 