{"id":6800,"date":"2018-05-08T07:20:58","date_gmt":"2018-05-08T12:20:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/?p=6800"},"modified":"2018-05-08T14:20:37","modified_gmt":"2018-05-08T19:20:37","slug":"may-13-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/may-13-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"May 13, 2018–A Lonely Lot"},"content":{"rendered":"

Leslie Scanlon, Chesapeake, VA<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Warm-up Question<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tell about a time this week you felt lonely.\u00a0 Tell\u00a0 about a time this week you felt part of a group.<\/p>\n

Think of it like \u201chigh\/low,\u201d \u201crose\/thorn,\u201d \u201cmountain top\/valley,\u201d or whatever metaphor you like to use.<\/em><\/p>\n

A Lonely Lot<\/strong><\/p>\n

With the rise of technologies that claim to facilitate communication, you might think that we would feel more connected than people in decades and centuries past.\u00a0 However, an article recently posted by NPR<\/a> reports that a survey conducted by the health insurance company Cigna concluded that \u201cAmericans are a lonely lot\u201d with over 50% of those surveyed responding, \u201cthat they feel alone or left out always or sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n

The UCLA Loneliness Scale uses a series of statements and a formula to quantify someone\u2019s sense of loneliness and was used in the survey to determine that many Americans do not feel truly connected to those with whom they are in relationship.\u00a0 Loneliness is not just an \u201cemotional\u201d issue, but can also negatively affect your physical health in a major way.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The survey results also suggest that the average sense of loneliness is progressively higher as you look at younger and younger generations. (Note: those surveyed were all over 18 years of age.)<\/em> Some studies have reported a correlation between more screen time\/less face-to-face time and higher instances of depression and suicide, but the Cigna survey did not find enough evidence to blame social media for the generational trends.\u00a0 That might be because not all social media use is equal\u2014positive and negative personal interactions can happen on social media platforms, but they can also be used somewhat passively.\u00a0 Technology can aid in our relationships being built up, but can also be the means of breaking them down.<\/p>\n

Discussion Questions<\/strong><\/p>\n