by Gabrielle Jamora
I try to take a few moments in my day to look around and examine my surroundings. Currently as I sit in a loud, busy coffee shop I see students sit at tables by themselves, nervously flipping through their textbooks, frantically typing out their study guides, a group of friends standing around waiting for their orders, laughing and catching up — probably as a pit stop before their next class, and at the table next to me — two people chatting and getting to know each other over cappuccinos, probably on a first date.
As I sit here as an outsider to these people’s lives, I can’t help but think that everyone here has complex lives of their own. Each one of these individuals has a family, friends, a favorite hobby, something they’re passionate about, something they would like to achieve; and all I see is a brief few minutes of their day. I usually like to think of my life as a TV show with me as the star, but somehow sitting here observing others, I see that there is much more.
Every person has a story. Every person out there knows something that you don’t and has experience that you don’t have. Whenever I meet someone new I want to learn more about them, their story, what they stand for, and how they identify themselves. By meeting others and forming meaningful connections we get a glimpse of a life beyond our own, and we are better for it.
I am a firm believer that who we decide to form connections with plays a role in who we are and who we want to become. Humans are inherently social. We seek to form bonds with others and want to create sincere relationships. With that being said, why does it feel so hard at times to form these bonds, and why does it seem so much easier to be alone?
According to Cigna’s 2020 Loneliness Index, 61% of American adults report that they feel lonely, which has increased 7% from 2018. There are a plethora of reasons why Americans now feel increasingly lonely, but instead of focusing on the “why,” focus should be shifted on how to prevent this loneliness.
Call up an old friend you haven’t talked to in a while, strike up conversation with the person next to you in line, call your mom or your siblings, your relatives. Make an effort to form a connection with someone new, or deepen and build up a relationship with someone already in your life. You never know what you might get out of it.
