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Janet Adamy and Paul Overberg – The Loneliest Generation: Americans, More Than Ever, Are Aging Alone

Summary:
Loneliness undermines health and is linked to early mortality—and baby boomers are especially feeling the effects Modern life is lonely - and we didn't evolve to live like this. In our ancient tribes the elderly lived alongside their families and were never lonely. Elders were respected for their wisdom and loved for their many stories where the dragons they had fought got bigger and more menacing by the year.  Modern Life is Rubbish is the title of one of Blur's albums.  In tribal societies if your house got burnt down everyone in the village would help help you build a new one.  No one bartered or sold people stuff. If you needed a new pair of shoes one of the friends would probably give you a pair, but the next day you might help him in his field. People had great

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Loneliness undermines health and is linked to early mortality—and baby boomers are especially feeling the effects


Modern life is lonely - and we didn't evolve to live like this. In our ancient tribes the elderly lived alongside their families and were never lonely. Elders were respected for their wisdom and loved for their many stories where the dragons they had fought got bigger and more menacing by the year. 

Modern Life is Rubbish is the title of one of Blur's albums.

 In tribal societies if your house got burnt down everyone in the village would help help you build a new one. 

No one bartered or sold people stuff. If you needed a new pair of shoes one of the friends would probably give you a pair, but the next day you might help him in his field. People had great friendships.

Young inexperienced mothers were never left alone with young, difficult to manage children as the extended family and also the tribe would all help out. Grandmothers and Great grandmothers with a lot of experience would help the young mothers and so the offspring would get a very secure and more nurturing environment leading to them becoming far healthier and happy adults. 

Everyone had a job, and as long as you did your best to contribute the differences in output from people was tolerated. There was the perfect blend of conservatism and socialism. 

Of course modern life has many advantages and many of us wouldn't be here without modern technology and healthcare, but have we lost something in the process? Something vital?

Carl Jung asked how much more consciousness can mankind tolerate? The animals have no idea what death means, and they cannot see into the future and worry. WW3? And they have no idea of future horrible diseases. 

Many people in the West have no religious faith now. In Europe two thirds have no faith, but in the US two thirds do have a faith, but it is said that one of those thirds also have no faith even though they go to church. Faith helped people cope with life. 

Loneliness can lead to depression and chronic diseases.

This is one of the reasons that I think the Job Guarantee is such a good idea. Lots of people living on their own without work will be able to not only earn a bit of money but also be able to get out and meet people. And for those who are not well enough to get out they can have people who are  on the Job Guarantee come around to keep them company, or do some tidying up for them, maybe do the garden, or even cook them a meal. 


The  dialectic process: thesis (modern society), antithesis (loneliness, lack of social life), Synthesis ( the Job Garantee, maybe?)

Okey, enough of my yacking, here's the article.

Danny Miner, a 66-year-old retired chemical plant supervisor, spends most days alone in his Tooele, Utah, apartment, with “Gunsmoke” reruns to keep him company and a phone that rarely rings.
Old age wasn’t supposed to feel this lonely. Mr. Miner married five times, each bride bringing the promise of lifelong companionship. Three unions ended in divorce. Two wives died. Now his legs ache and his balance is faulty, and he’s stopped going to church or meeting friends at the Marine Corps League, a group for former Marines. “I get a little depressed from time to time,” he says.
Baby boomers are aging alone more than any generation in U.S. history, and the resulting loneliness is a looming public health threat. About one in 11 Americans age 50 and older lacks a spouse, partner or living child, census figures and other research show. That amounts to about eight million people in the U.S. without close kin, the main source of companionship in old age, and their share of the population is projected to grow.
 The Wall Street Journal
Mike Norman
Mike Norman is an economist and veteran trader whose career has spanned over 30 years on Wall Street. He is a former member and trader on the CME, NYMEX, COMEX and NYFE and he managed money for one of the largest hedge funds and ran a prop trading desk for Credit Suisse.

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