All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?
The lonely people come from your neighborhood. They come from the house down the street. Maybe they come from your house.
Public Health authorities reported that loneliness afflicts 21 percent of King County residents. And not just short-term, mild loneliness—this 21 percent live isolated lives, and they lack necessary social support.
The data collected shows that this deep loneliness affects all genders and age groups (although people over 65 are least likely to want for social support). You can check out the Seattle P.I. for a neighborhood-by-neighborhood breakdown of the data.
Race is a major factor: black, Hispanic, and Asian people reported loneliness twice as often as white residents. Interestingly, multi-racial people were the least likely to report a lack social support. But the most telling predictor of loneliness was money. Almost half—43 percent—of King County’s poorest residents lacked social support. On the other side, of those with household incomes above $75,000, only 13 percent reported loneliness.
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?
They belong in community. Human connection is the most important thing—and that’s everyone’s responsibility. We can know our neighbors, we can find a community that fits us. We can build that social support.
Community-building wouldn’t appear on my formal job description, but it’s a huge part of what I do. It’s why I do what I do. I build relationships with my clients, and I help them build relationships with their community. I’ve gone on road trips with my clients, let one temporarily live with me and loaned out one of my rental properties to another when they needed places to stay between selling and buying, and I always recommend what’s truly best for them (even if it means I’m turning down business). Because money, comfort, work—those only matter so much.
To quote more Beatles:
Love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love.
All you need is love, all you need is love,
All you need is love, love. Love is all you need.
