27 Dec 2020. Feast of the Holy Family. Cycle B-2021. Sir 3:2-6, 12-14 + Col 3:12-21 + Lk 2:22-40
For kids of Eve…, family matters
to strive… to thrive… and to survive.
For beasts even, family matters
to strive… to thrive… and to survive. VSS
The decline of the family has unleashed an epidemic of loneliness.1
The New York Times, in Jan 17, 2018, reported that in the U.K. loneliness was so prevalent that Prime Minister Theresa May appointed a Minister for Loneliness. The post was to combat loneliness suffered from isolation, “proven to be worse for health than smoking 15 cigarettes a day.”2
In an atomized society today, individual self-sufficiency is promoted, while family interdependence is belittled. This revolution drove generations and families apart leading to loneliness of some nine million people in the U.K., many of whom were elderly and/or disabled, whose families abandoned them.3
The widespread accessibility and use of social media failed to avert the epidemic of loneliness. Ironically, according to a study published on December 2018 in the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, social media even exacerbated loneliness in society.4
It turns out that “In touch” is nowhere close to “on touch.”
Family thrives in peace, joy and bonding. A society to survive is built around a happy and cohesive family. A functioning family drives responsibility, strives productivity, and insures stability.
Family matters to strive, to thrive, and to survive. VSS
NOTES:
1 Hymowitz, Kay S., “Alone: The Decline of the Family has Unleashed an Epidemic of Loneliness”, City Journal, Spring 2019, https://www.city-journal.org/decline-of-family-loneliness-epidemic
3 Hymowitz, Kay S., “Alone…”
4 https://www.healthline.com/health-news/social-media-use-increases-depression-and-loneliness
Picture credit: Photo of Family in Pajamas by Any Lane on Pexels.com.
BrieflectionS 