Thanks so much for raising this important issue! How are we to find community if we have no family? How are we to feel connected if we are alone? The online world provides some relief but recognize that it is a mere shadow of real community. I think the point you make here is deserving of further discussion (beyond a simple answer here) …
Thanks so much for raising this important issue! How are we to find community if we have no family? How are we to feel connected if we are alone? The online world provides some relief but recognize that it is a mere shadow of real community. I think the point you make here is deserving of further discussion (beyond a simple answer here) as we know that many people share your experience. We'll take not of this and plan to address your question in one of our upcoming essays.
Thanks Ruth, I appreciate your writing and this Substack so I'll look forward to that.
I should clarify: I do have a family; I just don't personally have a spouse or children. I have my parents, my sibling and their spouse & kids, cousins, etc. But, like so many people, I don't live in the same city as any of them. It's an eight- to ten-hour drive or a short flight to see them, so they're not inaccessible, but it's also not a matter of going around the corner for Sunday dinner every week. I do wonder sometimes if going off to seek job opportunities elsewhere is the thing that causes so much of this anomie, but I also wanted to see the world! It's a difficult balance between wanting to be rooted in one place and avoiding being "stuck" in one place, with all the insularity that can bring.
Thanks so much for raising this important issue! How are we to find community if we have no family? How are we to feel connected if we are alone? The online world provides some relief but recognize that it is a mere shadow of real community. I think the point you make here is deserving of further discussion (beyond a simple answer here) as we know that many people share your experience. We'll take not of this and plan to address your question in one of our upcoming essays.
Thanks Ruth, I appreciate your writing and this Substack so I'll look forward to that.
I should clarify: I do have a family; I just don't personally have a spouse or children. I have my parents, my sibling and their spouse & kids, cousins, etc. But, like so many people, I don't live in the same city as any of them. It's an eight- to ten-hour drive or a short flight to see them, so they're not inaccessible, but it's also not a matter of going around the corner for Sunday dinner every week. I do wonder sometimes if going off to seek job opportunities elsewhere is the thing that causes so much of this anomie, but I also wanted to see the world! It's a difficult balance between wanting to be rooted in one place and avoiding being "stuck" in one place, with all the insularity that can bring.