LONELINESS

BY: RIYA BHADANA

A very good morning to all the dignitaries and all my fellow mates, I am Riya
Bhadana and I stand here today to talk about the various reasons which persuades
people towards a seemingly perpetual feeling of loneliness and its consequences.

What makes us happiest in life? Some people may point to fabulous fame and
fortune. Yet hands down, surveys show that friends and family is the real prize.
Even though our need to connect is innate, some of us always go home alone. You
could have people around you throughout the day or even be in a lifelong marriage,
and still experience a deep, persuasive loneliness.

People can experience loneliness for many reasons, and many life events are
related to loneliness. Loneliness is a very common response to a divorce or the
breakup/loss of any important long-term relationship. In these cases it may stem
both from the loss of a specific person, as well as from the withdrawal from social
circles caused by the event or the associated sadness. Maybe you were, or felt,
abandoned at some time in life and came to associate being alone with being
unloved or neglected. A fear of being alone can be directly related to lack of self-
confidence and to the belief that activities cannot be enjoyed or even attempted if
you are alone. So, we can say that loneliness can occur at any stage of our life. So
why are we getting lonelier? Changes in modern society are considered to be the
cause. We live in nuclear family units, often living large distances away from our
extended family and friends, and our growing reliance on social technology rather
than face to face interaction is thought to be making us feel more isolated. It means
we feel less connected to others and our relationships are becoming more
superficial and less rewarding. We are social animals and need to feel that we
"belong" to others and feel connected to one another. Social pain is as real a
sensation for us as physical pain. Loneliness affects all of us at some point in our
lives. Relocating to a new area, losing a loved one, and starting a course at
university are all key times when people feel lonely. Research suggests that this
experience of loneliness is useful to us as it motivates us to reconnect with others
and to seek out new friendships to reduce the "social pain" that we feel. But for
some, when reconnection is not easy or not possible, if a person is socially isolated,
people can remain in this uncomfortable loneliness state for a number of years.
Older people are especially vulnerable to loneliness and social isolation – and it
can have a serious effect on health. Hundreds of thousands of elderly people are
lonely and cut off from society in this country, especially those over the age of
75.According to Age UK, more than 2 million people in England over the age of
75 live alone, and more than a million older people say they go for over a month
without speaking to a friend, neighbor or family member. People can become
socially isolated for a variety of reasons, such as getting older or weaker, no longer
being the hub of their family, leaving the workplace, the deaths of spouses and
friends, or through disability or illness. Whatever the cause, it's shockingly easy to
be left feeling alone and vulnerable, which can lead to depression and a serious
decline in physical health and wellbeing. Someone who is lonely probably also
finds it hard to reach out. There is a stigma surrounding loneliness, and older
people tend not to ask for help because they have too much pride. It's important to
remember loneliness can – and does – affect anyone, of any age. Although
loneliness affects such a large part of the population that it is regarded as a
universal phenomenon and as part and parcel of the human condition, the pain
associated with loneliness may have serious consequences. Various studies
indicate that young people (particularly those between 18 and 25 years of age) are
especially prone to loneliness and that they should accordingly be the focus of new
studies on the condition. At the root of their isolation lie the uncertain political
situation, the lack of leadership in the country, a high incidence of child abuse,
rape, sexual abuse, incest and violence. A hazard of social isolation is that it has
been found to be a risk factor for a wide variety of problems, such as high levels of
psychological stress, negative affect and consequent poor psychological well-being
which lead to depression, suicide, animosity, alcoholism and psychosomatic
illnesses. In other words, loneliness has both physical and psychological
implications, many of which could be long term.
I would conclude by saying that although it is impossible to prevent loneliness, the
condition may be alleviated by cultivating social awareness on the prevalence and
consequences of loneliness and doing research on the effect and influence of
culture and the community on the prevalence and alleviation of loneliness .

Thank you