Scattered To The Four Winds

[Editorial]

Part 1:
The United States is a nation of immigrants except for the original peoples we all came here. We left our families in Europe and came to the “New World” (we were the undocumented of the 1600s, 1700s, and 1800s). And we whacked some over the head and dragged them to the Americas in chains.

In the 1800s Horace Greeley said “Go west young man!” and they did. They went to the people who lived there for thousands of years  and stuck a gun to their heads and said “This land is mine now.”

Then all that changed, immigrants who started to come here didn’t look like us, their skin color was different, their eyes were shaped different… WHOA we can’t have “those people” here so they passed laws limiting the number of non-Europeans who could enter the country. But hey… you can build our railroads for us while your here.

From that point on we stood at the boarders with guns and said you, you, and you, but not you. Because of the way they looked, because of the language they spoke, because of the god they worshiped… because they weren’t like us.

Then came the dust-bowl years and we packed up once again and moved.

Part 2:
Now some two hundred and forty-eight years later we are packing up and moving to where the jobs are instead of open spaces but things are different now. We are still leave for a better life but is it?

When we moved west we brought our families with us or we built a new family with roots. But now we are moving off of the farms, we are moving from the towns where our families lived for generations and moving to the cities for the jobs.

We worked in the foundries, factories, and mills where for generations we could live and have gainful employment. But then the Robber Barons yanked them from us and move them overseas while they played Scrooge McDuck and counted their mounds of gold.

Once again we are migrating to find new jobs, but it is different this time around.

Loneliness in Midlife: A Growing Gap Between US and Europe
Neuroscience Psychology
March 18, 2024

Summary: New research highlights a significant loneliness gap between middle-aged adults in the U.S. and their European counterparts, with Americans experiencing higher levels.

The study utilized data from over 53,000 participants to explore loneliness trends across three generations, finding that U.S. adults report increasing loneliness, particularly among younger generations. Key factors contributing to this discrepancy include cultural norms, socioeconomic factors, and weaker social safety nets in the U.S., suggesting a need for policy interventions to address this public health issue.

The findings underscore loneliness as an endemic challenge, emphasizing the role of social connections and support policies in mitigating its impact.

Key Facts:

1.     Generational Increase in Loneliness: Younger generations in the U.S. report higher levels of loneliness than older ones, indicating a growing trend of isolation.
2.     Cultural and Socioeconomic Factors: Differences in cultural norms, such as individualism and social media use, alongside economic challenges like job insecurity and income inequality, contribute to the U.S.’s higher loneliness rates.
3.     Need for Policy Intervention: The research calls for tailored policy interventions, such as enhancing social safety nets and promoting family and work benefits, to combat loneliness and foster social connections.

“Loneliness is gaining attention globally as a public health issue because elevated loneliness increases one’s risk for depression, compromised immunity, chronic illness and mortality,” said lead author Frank Infurna, PhD, an associate professor of psychology at Arizona State University.

[…]

Compared with European counterparts, adults in the U.S. reported significantly higher levels of loneliness. This “loneliness gap” widened with younger generations (late baby boomers and Generation X) reporting greater loneliness than older ones (early baby boomers and the Silent Generation).

While the U.S. showed consistent historical increases in midlife loneliness during the period data were collected, some European nations displayed more varied patterns. For instance, England and Mediterranean Europe demonstrated similar increases in loneliness for later-born participants (late baby boomers and Generation X). Continental and Nordic Europe demonstrated stable or even slightly declining levels across generations.

Could it have something to do with migrations? That we are traveling thousands of miles for jobs? While Europe in much more compacted, that jobs are closer to their roots and they ar enot moving as far as us?

Loneliness as a global public health issue has called attention to the importance of advancing social connections, according to Infurna. The study defends the promotion of social safety nets, through generous family and work policies, which may lessen midlife loneliness by reducing financial pressures and work-family conflict, in addition to strengthening job security and workplace flexibility. Infurna said such practices would also address health and gender inequities.

As a senior citizen I do not understand the younger generation wanting to work from home. Work, besides being work is also social and working from home is socially isolating.

I look at my own life experiences.

When I was growing up we moved from where my mother and fathers lived to another part of the state. I saw my cousins build bonds, life long bonds while we only saw them on holidays.

I see that in my brother's families. He moved every couple of years and the children never developed life long friendships. My brother still has his high school friends, but his kids found it hard to make friends as they moved.

Now his children are scattered from Connecticut to North Carolina and their children are scattering far and wide not putting down roots.

And that is one of the problems that I see now a days we are a nation of immigrants and loneliness is only going to increase as the new generation migrates to the jobs and we don’t know our families.

 [/Editorial]