People who need people

This year’s Academy Awards will be broadcast on March 2. For some people, this coming Sunday’s Superbowl tops their TV year. For me, it is the Oscars.

Thinking about today’s blog theme, belonging, takes me back to 1969, when Barbra Streisand won the award for Best Actress for Funny Girl. (There was a tie for the Best Actress award in 1969. Katharine Hepburn won for her role in The Lion in Winter.)

Here’s the thing. I don’t remember much about the movie, but I sure remember her singing People Who Need People.

I was in my early 20s, and fell in love with the song. I was sure it pertained to me.

It was romantic, implying that needing people is the key to opening love’s doors.

People, people who need people, are the luckiest people, the song says.

But as with so many things that stir the heart and rouse the soul, needing people doesn’t guarantee a life filled with joy. Or, at least that’s been my  experience.

Besides the misery that loneliness can bring, scientists are now considering the negative health effects of protracted loneliness. In a country where health care developments lead to longer lives, it seems timely to consider the quality of the those longer lives since much of them may be spent living as a single person.

Feeling as if we belong somewhere, to someone, can take the edge off of loneliness’ impacts on you or those you love. Below I have include AI-assisted research on problems and solutions of loneliness.

1. Health Consequences – Chronic loneliness is linked to an increased risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, weakened immune function, and cognitive decline, including a higher risk of dementia. It can be as harmful as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

2. Mental Health Effects – Loneliness is strongly associated with depression, anxiety, and increased stress levels. It can contribute to sleep disturbances and lower overall well-being.

3. Brain and Cognitive Function – Research shows that loneliness affects brain structures involved in emotional regulation and social cognition. It can impair memory, focus, and decision-making abilities.

4. Social and Behavioral Effects – Loneliness can create a negative cycle where individuals withdraw from social interactions, making it harder to reconnect. It can also lead to increased reliance on social media, which may or may not alleviate loneliness.

5. Age and Loneliness – While loneliness can affect all ages, it is particularly common among older adults due to factors like retirement, loss of loved ones, and decreased mobility. However, younger generations also report high levels of loneliness, often linked to digital communication replacing in-person interactions.

6. Community and Cultural Factors – Cultures that emphasize strong social connections and intergenerational living tend to have lower levels of loneliness. Social structures, such as community groups and religious organizations, can serve as protective factors.

7. Solutions and Interventions – Effective ways to combat loneliness include fostering meaningful social interactions, engaging in volunteer work, adopting pets, participating in group activities, and seeking therapy when needed. Some studies suggest that structured programs, such as social prescribing (where doctors recommend community activities), can help alleviate loneliness.

Who is going next?

For many who travel in church circles, it was Maryann Budde who went first.

The Episcopal Bishop of Washington, the Right Reverend Budde took her place in the pulpit of the National Cathedral.

It was January 21, one day after Donald Trump’s inauguration as President of the United States. Again.

The Cathedral scheduled an interfaith Service of Prayer for the Nation. Bishop Budde would preach.

According to online promotion, the service was to “gather with our interfaith and ecumenical partners to offer prayers of thanksgiving for our democracy and to seek God’s guidance in the years ahead.”

Moving into the climax of the sermon, Bishop Budde directed her remarks to President Trump.

In a calm, collected, clear, and kind voice, the bishop asked him to show mercy on those in targeted groups now living in fear because of his threats.

Trump later dismissed the sermon as “not very good.” 

He said more, of course, but suffice it to say, his reaction was negative. No real surprise. He also requested that the bishop apologize for what she said to him. Here is how she addressed the request for apology during an interview with PBS radio:

“I don’t feel there is a need to apologize for a request for mercy. And I don’t feel that there is a need to apologize to speak to the unity of this country that includes people that were not at all referenced in the unity that he spoke of the day before in his inaugural address. So, no, I don’t feel the need to apologize. I regret that I never – you know, I regret that it is – I don’t know. What do I regret? I regret that it was something that has caused the kind of response that it has, in the sense that it actually confirmed the very thing that I was speaking of earlier, which is our tendency to jump to outrage and not speak to one another with respect. But, no, I won’t apologize.”

Watch the full sermon here.

What I believe demands attention is the courage it took to stand in the pulpit, look the president in the eye , and ask for change. It was brave. And it’s important to us all to be courageous at the right moments in life. Any one of us may be called upon to be brave in the future. When it’s my turn I pray that I can be as poised and clear, yet gentle, as was Bishop Budde.

Perhaps Bishop Budde’s views on the nature of bravery could inspire us.

For that, I commend her book, How We Learn To Be Brave. You can purchase the audio version on Audible, or order the book from your favorite source. I do understand it is in high demand, and many bookstores have it on back order. 

I also include a Reel from Facebook demonstrating the importance of standing up to injustice. Click here to watch on Facebook.

A Complete Unknown

When Bob Dylan took the stage at the 1963 Newport Jazz Festival, who knew he would become the icon of a movement.

The five-foot-seven, slender young man with the tousled hair was not a physically imposing figure—but his words and delivery were imposing enough.

At 22, this “complete unknown” walked to a microphone—and started a revolution.

To be sure, musical prophets were not new. Woody Guthrie—who inspired Dylan—won over the American people with songs of their plight: Guthrie’s songs about the desperate stories of people scrabbling day by day to survive during The Great Depression and the 1930s environmental disaster, the Dustbowl.

Even in the 1960s, Dylan was not the only voice raised against perceived inequities.

Prolific, prophetic, persuasive, yes he was. But not alone. In fact, one of the others—among her many other life-changing contributions—is credited with giving Dylan a place on the stage. Joan Baez, also 22 at the time, was already known—and respected—not just for that large, clear soprano voice, but also for her commentary.

Personally, I cannot rank one of them ahead of the other.
People listened to them both. Not everyone, of course. But heir talents and message and integrity struck a chord in America at just the right time.

Twenty-two. And people of all ages and situations listened to them. Vilified by some, admired by many. Whether you were a fan or a detractor, you knew the names. And you knew the message

All at twenty-two.

UNBRIDLED COURAGE–Kalyna Fedorowycz is a sixteen-year-old equestrian who has been helping to transport horses away from the Southern California wildfires. But when a horse recently was too scared to get aboard the transport trailer, she took a more hands-on approach and actually rode the animal out of the canyon herself. Once again, youth shows us the way.