Seems like a good subject for a Saturday night. Maybe I should save it for the Saturday night loser's club. But, anyway, what is the deal with people being alone? And, by people, I mean older people.
For my Saturday afternoon rambling on this subject, see below.
I've been thinking about lonely people lately. I guess it's the holiday season and all of the solicitations to help older, alone people that got me thinking about it in this particular way.
It can be so hard for many people to make friends, or to have good friends even in ideal situations. How many people really don't have friends at all?
It occurs to me to ask, after noticing how alone so many older people are, why are they alone in old age? Does age automatically mean friendlessness? It seems that is must often mean just that.
I think many people have all of their "friends" at work. Then, when they retire, they are nothing anymore to those "friends." I think this would be especially true in the Corporate World, where you have "friends" as long as you can do something for them.
So, they retire and find out they are alone.
For example, "Senior Citizen Centers." It seems every city and town has one. I saw one advertised in my local county's recreation center brochure recently. Older people can get together and play cards and stuff. They go there alone to find company. Why do so many older people not have a friend or two to play cards with at home, or go to the movies with? Why does every city need a Senior Center to provide companionship?
Also, Meals on Wheels. It's for older people who are alone and aren't taking care of themselves. They have no friends or family to look out for them. Why? Did they have friends when they were younger, and now they don't?
It seems to me that it's not the rare, unfortunate person who falls into this situation, but many people as they grow old.
What is the deal with this?
UPDATE:
Thank you so much everybody. You never know what's going to strike a chord. Bottom of the rec list. :) Glad to see so many care and are interested in this subject. It seems a lot of Kossacks personally relate too. Thank you so much for the comments and conversation. We all need to take a closer look at the older people we see around us.