Breaking the Curse of Isolation

Sometimes I struggle to love my neighbors. Today's society makes it very easy to avoid other people and live heads down on our phones and laptops. Now, if one is careful, community, if organized, can be found on Threads, Bluesky, YouTube, and Reddit groups. But too often, the screens are merely a reflection of the person's face. Time is spent on work projects, video games, and mindlessly doom-scrolling. These are not acts of community but of isolation and there is too much isolation today.

I recently went on a pastoral visit, and on my way, I was asked by another resident to come and visit. Meeting someone outside my community, listening to their story and praying over them was awesome. Inviting them to our community and letting them know that they are not alone is central to being a good neighbor.

When we love our neighbor, we love God. Why? Each of us is created, and crafted as unique people and is worthy of love if only for that reason alone, that we exist. But our current culture rewards self-criticism, isolation, maximum productivity, and self-centeredness. The fruits have been loneliness, chemical dependency, violence, and self-harm.

But there is a solution, and it is found in the community. We are not created to live alone. We must leave our homes, offices, and game rooms and wander our neighborhoods. We need to release ourselves from the guilt of working on a car with a neighbor or volunteering at the senior center.

My challenge for you is to meet one new person this week. Engage outside and see if your mood doesn't improve, your loneliness doesn't lift and hope arrives. Because faith, love, hope, and joy are found in community and not isolation.

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