Aug 11, 2023·edited Aug 11, 2023Liked by Jim Dalrymple II
Church has definitely been an important source of community and natural catalyst for friendship throughout my life, in various seasons and at various ages. (It should never be the *only* one, but as with the case of family, you get this.) My husband and I see the benefits of marriage (obvs). But we also notice how the professional class in my husband's world --who don't have family around and aren't married, and are not religiously involved-- seem to only have work friends.... if that. It makes sense, and it's also really sad. Back when my husband was in grad school, there were plenty of fellow doctoral students who were from other countries and seemed to appreciate small acts of friendships more than his current coworkers do.
I think of all the rich relationships I (and my husband) would have missed out on if not part of a local church. And The Christian life, at least, was never meant to be lived out alone.
But Vivek H. Murthy’s book also opened my eyes to how lonely *all* of us are in the modern world. I see this to varying degrees even within the most sociable people within Christian communities. But I suppose that could be more of a rant about the ills of life after the Industrial Revolution.
But alas, these are just personal, anecdotal observations!
Thanks so much, and I totally agree. Even the least isolated people today are more isolated than most people were in the past.
And it's interesting about work. I feel like I've tried to make work friends into outside work friends, and it's so difficult. Maybe it's just me, but I've talked to other people who have similar experiences. My theory is that workplaces can be good for what I think of as light social interactions and very casual friendships, but they're not so great at building a larger community of very close connections.
Good thoughts, based on your observations, it seems to be that people are more problem oriented rather than solution oriented. It’s like looking to climb a mountain and being discouraged at the sheer size of it. The problem is very large, and yet there is little to no notice of the well-worn pathway to the top. There are many ways to climb a mountain, one could fly to the top, build a tram, drive a car, hire someone to carry you, or walk yourself. Many of these could be done, and maybe should be done, but there are some ways that are tried and true, albeit a bit old-fashioned.
Family is one of the oldest institutions, many people tend to overlook families as useful. I think this based more on the societal shift towards technology and individualism and away from Christianity
Church has definitely been an important source of community and natural catalyst for friendship throughout my life, in various seasons and at various ages. (It should never be the *only* one, but as with the case of family, you get this.) My husband and I see the benefits of marriage (obvs). But we also notice how the professional class in my husband's world --who don't have family around and aren't married, and are not religiously involved-- seem to only have work friends.... if that. It makes sense, and it's also really sad. Back when my husband was in grad school, there were plenty of fellow doctoral students who were from other countries and seemed to appreciate small acts of friendships more than his current coworkers do.
I think of all the rich relationships I (and my husband) would have missed out on if not part of a local church. And The Christian life, at least, was never meant to be lived out alone.
But Vivek H. Murthy’s book also opened my eyes to how lonely *all* of us are in the modern world. I see this to varying degrees even within the most sociable people within Christian communities. But I suppose that could be more of a rant about the ills of life after the Industrial Revolution.
But alas, these are just personal, anecdotal observations!
Great stuff as always.
Thanks so much, and I totally agree. Even the least isolated people today are more isolated than most people were in the past.
And it's interesting about work. I feel like I've tried to make work friends into outside work friends, and it's so difficult. Maybe it's just me, but I've talked to other people who have similar experiences. My theory is that workplaces can be good for what I think of as light social interactions and very casual friendships, but they're not so great at building a larger community of very close connections.
Good thoughts, based on your observations, it seems to be that people are more problem oriented rather than solution oriented. It’s like looking to climb a mountain and being discouraged at the sheer size of it. The problem is very large, and yet there is little to no notice of the well-worn pathway to the top. There are many ways to climb a mountain, one could fly to the top, build a tram, drive a car, hire someone to carry you, or walk yourself. Many of these could be done, and maybe should be done, but there are some ways that are tried and true, albeit a bit old-fashioned.
Family is one of the oldest institutions, many people tend to overlook families as useful. I think this based more on the societal shift towards technology and individualism and away from Christianity
Thanks again for your essays, I enjoy them!
This is such a great analogy, I love it. I might have to steal it for a future post ;)
I am glad you like it, you inspired it! And you are free to use it! (With maybe a shoutout in exchange) ;)