I Guess That We’re All Lucky

In 1964, the play Funny Girl opened on Broadway. Its star, Barbara Streisand, introduced a song which became one of her most well-known songs for years to come. According to that song…

People who need people are the luckiest people in the world.

While doing some research on a topic I was recently asked to address, I came across some interesting information. According to something I read, what was called “social isolation” is more detrimental to our health than smoking multiple cigarettes a day. (“Multiple” was not defined.) Since I read that, I’ve also read that social isolation is also worse for our physical health than obesity. On May 2 of this year, the following headline appeared online from USA Today:

Loneliness epidemic facing America in 2023, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy warns

One section of the article contained the following information:

Loneliness is linked to an increased risk for anxiety and depression, heart disease, dementia and other health issues, as well as early death.

Lacking social connection has the same health consequences as smoking up to 15 cigarettes daily or drinking six alcoholic beverages a day according to research by Holt-Lunstad, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Brigham Young University.

During the past couple of years or so, the Covid situation made many of us aware of a desire to be with others. I thought about using the word “interact” in that last sentence, but I think that “be” is a better choice. Some of the material about the detrimental effects of loneliness suggests that various forms of “interacting” with each other online is not a solution to loneliness. Instead, they may make it worse.

Apparently, being able to be with others is healthy in so many ways. Not only do we seem to feel better emotionally, but we also feel better – and are better – physically when we are around other people. All of us are “people who need people.”

God knew that before we figured it out. It was/is His design for people to interact with one another in families, communities, societies, etc. It is my opinion that, when He said, “It is not good for man to be alone,” He was not just talking about Eve. I believe that, in His wisdom, He was expressing a truth that went far beyond two people, far beyond one geographic location, and far beyond the very early history of mankind. He created us as “people who need people.”

Sadly, some make some very poor choices in an effort to fulfill that need. People choose companions, join various organizations, “hang out” with people, and do a host of other things in an effort to “cure” loneliness and maybe experience a sense of belonging.

As is always the case, God had a solution before we even knew that we had a problem. You can find that solution in Ephesians 3:15. In that verse, Paul was inspired to write this concerning Him:

 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named

Life can be enhanced in so many ways when we choose to have that relationship with the heavenly Father, His Son, and His family. Those who make that choice know that they will never truly be lonely – not even in eternity.

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AUTHOR: Jim Faughn