How the American Dream convinces people loneliness is normal
American lore is full of tales of the lone cowboy, the rugged individualist who will do what needs to be done. But, in reality, loneliness in the U.S. can be deadly: this month, the U.S. surgeon general declared it an epidemic
Hasnain says:
I've always found a stark difference between how communities operate between Pakistan and the States - and while initially I appreciated the changes after moving - now, as I've grown a little, my feelings are much more mixed.
"Those omissions continue. Fueled in part by pandemic distrust, a latter-day strain of individual-over-community sentiment often paired with invocations of liberty and freedom occupies a significant chunk of the national conversation these days — to the point where advocacy about community thinking is sometimes met with accusations of socialism.
Let’s not consign Americans to be the heirs of a built-in loneliness gene, though. A new generation is insisting that mental health be part of the national conversation, and many voices — among them women and people of color — are increasingly offering new alternatives to the old myths.
What’s more, the very place where the discussion about loneliness is being held today — in the office of the surgeon general, a presidential appointee — suggests that other paths are possible."
Posted on 2023-05-26T04:10:56+0000