There are several causes of this hyper-individualism, one of them is the break down of the extended family which began with the industrial revolution and seems to have reached its peak at the turn of the 21st century. This break down has been inspired by a society that treats people as cogs in the industrial machine and teaches that it is most efficient to be mobile and follow the jobs. Add to that commuting to those jobs! On top of this we have television and other personal entertainment devices. In his book Bowling Alone (2000), Robert Putnam attributes 25% of the breakdown in American civic life to technologies that have "privatized entertainment." I personally think the percentage might be higher.
So what does all this individualism get us? According to researchers we are more likely to become sick and depressed. That doesn't seem like a great trade off to me. Trade the companionship of family and friends and the stability of a strong local community for a head cold, heart disease, dementia and depression.
What's the solution? Build strong social networks. Get involved in your community. Volunteer. Shop locally. Studies show that we engage in many more conversations and interactions when we shop at farmer's markets than when we shop at big box grocery stores. And well... play croquet. It is a great game that allows for plenty of social interaction.
Everyone's situation is different, but I guess what I'm trying to say is, if you are one of the millions of Americans who just isn't finding life very fulfilling, you might want to have a look at where you are living it. Are you spending a lot of time at work or commuting to work and then spending most of the rest of your time feeling drained and falling back on the habit of sitting in front of the TV until it's time to go to bed before waking up to do it all over again? Perhaps you want to move your living into the space between those two. Move the job a little closer to home. Save some energy for other pursuits. Unplug the TV and get out in the yard, into your neighborhood, into your community. You will find your sense of well-being and your wellness improves. I'm preaching to myself here as much as to anyone. I can be a bit of a hermit and I've spent more than my share of time in front of TV or computer, seen my social networks dwindle and my waistline increase. I'm hoping that this intensive experiment in localization is going to help me turn that around.
I hope you will stay with me on this journey and that we will all make many new discoveries about our selves, our friends, our communities and our world.
So what does all this individualism get us? According to researchers we are more likely to become sick and depressed. That doesn't seem like a great trade off to me. Trade the companionship of family and friends and the stability of a strong local community for a head cold, heart disease, dementia and depression.
What's the solution? Build strong social networks. Get involved in your community. Volunteer. Shop locally. Studies show that we engage in many more conversations and interactions when we shop at farmer's markets than when we shop at big box grocery stores. And well... play croquet. It is a great game that allows for plenty of social interaction.
Everyone's situation is different, but I guess what I'm trying to say is, if you are one of the millions of Americans who just isn't finding life very fulfilling, you might want to have a look at where you are living it. Are you spending a lot of time at work or commuting to work and then spending most of the rest of your time feeling drained and falling back on the habit of sitting in front of the TV until it's time to go to bed before waking up to do it all over again? Perhaps you want to move your living into the space between those two. Move the job a little closer to home. Save some energy for other pursuits. Unplug the TV and get out in the yard, into your neighborhood, into your community. You will find your sense of well-being and your wellness improves. I'm preaching to myself here as much as to anyone. I can be a bit of a hermit and I've spent more than my share of time in front of TV or computer, seen my social networks dwindle and my waistline increase. I'm hoping that this intensive experiment in localization is going to help me turn that around.
I hope you will stay with me on this journey and that we will all make many new discoveries about our selves, our friends, our communities and our world.
Totally agree, and I know from experience it's SO hard! I've considered, and tried to convince Matt, on the old-fashioned custom of letting people know that we are 'at home to visitors' on certain afternoons/evenings, to encourage people to drop by. I think it seems like an obligation, to him, and his counter was to invite certain people for Reading Night every second Friday of the month - which seems like an obligation to me, because we then have to organize our interaction in a specific way, when the friends we invite might actually want to socialize and exchange news about other people we know. It's his way of avoiding having a 'party' happen, because he doesn't want THAT, you know. ;)
ReplyDeleteI also did attempt to actually invite some of my coworkers for croquet. They all liked the idea, but none of them said they would actually show up - mainly, I think, because they didn't want to drive all that way up to my house. A half hour, heaven forfend. So that kind of fell by the wayside.
Yeah, I know what you mean. And yet how many of us drive that far or further to our jobs? My commute is nearly 40 minutes some days depending on traffic. As to croquet, you guys are more than welcome to come and play here .We have a set and a nice flat lawn.
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