Driving home from a visitation late yesterday afternoon, Diane and I talked at length about how pleasant the visitation had been. Mrs. Sonja Witte was a beloved businesswoman, active in our community and church. Besides expressions of sympathy and Christian hope, it was soul satisfying to visit with people who have touched our lives in various ways during our 40-plus years in Collinsville. Our experience was more important than it might seem.
Today the U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, released a report on a public health crisis: “loneliness, isolation, and lack of connection in the United States.” “Lacking connection increases the risk for premature death to more than 60%. Put simply, this social disconnection increases the risk for premature death to the same levels as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day.” “Insufficient social connection has also been linked to an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, anxiety, depression and dementia. Additionally, loneliness was reported among the primary motivations for self-harm.” (ABC News)
Today’s American society destructive, and it’s not just gun violence. Hyper-individualists and partisan groups exclude others. Extended families are literally extended, relatives live far away. Absolute truth is no longer accepted; everything is relative, whatever suits me. Digital technology enables us to ignore people with whom we disagree but cocoon with those who won’t challenge us, or I add, enrich us. “In 2018, the average American spent an astonishing 11 hours every day interacting with media, from television to radio to smartphones.” (WSJ, January 14-15, 2023; C2)
In 1938 Harvard University began its “Study of Adult Development,” which continues to this day. The purpose, said the directors, was “to see if we could predict who was going to grow into a happy, healthy octogenarian and who wasn’t… it wasn’t their middle-aged cholesterol levels that predicted how they were going to grow old; it was how satisfied they were in their relationships. The people who were the most satisfied in their relationships at age 50 were the healthiest, mentally and physically, at age 80.” (WSJ)
Yesterday’s visitation for Mrs. Witte, a wonderful octogenarian, demonstrated the divine blessing of simply spending time with people. Which is a way to say, being with people is what the Ten Commandments are about. “And the second (commandment) is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (Matthew 22:39; KJV).