Filling the loneliness void

And we had a party line with four other households on that same line. To connect with any of those neighbours on our line, we had to crank that handle. It was ‘cutting- edge’ technology, I’d like to remind you!

I remember one family had two long rings, another, three shorts. We were one short and one long. Oh, the good fortune to have honest people as your neighbours, who didn’t quietly pick up their phone for a sneak listen-in on others’ calls!

Ringing someone in another region was quite a task, not to mention connecting with friends in another country.

Trying to explain this to the grandkids today is like trying to describe life from another planet. Explaining stuff in a foreign language may be easier.

My goodness, how communication has changed. It’s now a whole different world. We carry our phones in our pockets today and can connect to anyone almost anywhere in mere seconds.

With the help of social media platforms, we can connect with people on a whim and surround ourselves quick-smart with more ‘friends’ than previous generations could ever accrue in a lifetime! Quite amazing, really.

Yet for all that, loneliness has not receded for many. If anything, it’s gotten worse. I have read and been told many times that lots of people struggle with the face-toface stuff today. Talking through a keypad is more than just okay, it’s the preferred means of communication. How shallow!

A few years ago, I read about a new (at the time) business venture – ‘Rent a Friend’ as somebody labelled it. They offered friendship, or family, for hire. And no, it was not sexual in nature.

Or, if you wanted a crowd for your wedding, to make it look like you were popular, with many friends, yes, they could sort that for you. Even for your funeral too, if you really wanted to impress the ‘whoevers’ that might happen to glance your way.

A little more recently I read something that to me is sadder still. Older women in Japan were deliberately committing crimes. Yep, they were that desperate. They wanted to get imprisoned because they would get well looked after, find some companionship and new friends. Some even offered to pay good money, if they could extend their stay beyond their release date.

It’s that desperate aching loneliness thing again!