I was listening to Albert Mohler today. And in 'The Briefing', a podcast where he analyses news from a Christian perspective, he mentioned the words that form the title of this post.
The New York Times ran an article on 9th April which mentions the fact that more and more Americans have been using the phone to call people and talk to them. This was in opposition to trends in recent years where texting was becoming the predominant form of communication. Mohler mentions the fact that the Coronavirus pandemic has brought to focus another huge problem - the pandemic of loneliness.
The phenomena is not unique to the American population. A quick Google search brought me results where Telecompaper ran an article on 23rd April about a rise in phone calls in the UK. And Euronews ran one on 25th which mentioned the same phenomena across Europe.
Though I couldn't find one particular to India, I found a couple of news items along similar lines. Reliance Jio, Airtel, and Idea-Vodafone, or in other words, all the big telecom companies in India, have extended their incoming calls validity in view of the lockdown. The Economic Times ran an article on 19th April, showing how many young professionals are dealing with increased anxiety due to loneliness. The article goes on to mention how these youngsters are finding ways to deal with the loneliness, which include spending lots of time on social media, staying connected with people through video calls, dating, or picking up various hobbies or projects.
All this goes on to show how people are craving the human touch, the human voice, or in other words, they are craving companionship. Mohler in his podcast, says that we as Christians, have a theological explanation for this. God made man in His image, and this craving for connection is certainly a part of our design. God said, "it is not good for man to be alone." Though written in the immediate context of the marital relationship, it can be applied to a larger theme.
But we don't just have a theological explanation, but also, according to Mohler, we can see a missiological opportunity in this. People are longing for human companionship. People want to talk. People are anxious. And they want to talk. As someone who generally avoids being in contact with people through the phone, it is particularly a wake up call for me. And perhaps all of us Christians need to reach out to people around us.
I am in no way discounting the work of trained counselors and psychiatrists. We definitely need such support. However, we can also do our part. We could call a friend whom we haven't spoken to in a long time. Or maybe a family relative whom we have drifted away from. There is a mission here for us. To love and serve our neighbour. It could be to just lend a listening ear. Or to offer comfort to people. To be a friend.
Ultimately, however, we realise that it is only God who can offer comfort to a lonely heart. And as we comfort people, we point people towards the ultimate comforter, Jesus Christ, who promised to be with his disciples "always, to the end of the ages." (Mathew 28:20)
The New York Times ran an article on 9th April which mentions the fact that more and more Americans have been using the phone to call people and talk to them. This was in opposition to trends in recent years where texting was becoming the predominant form of communication. Mohler mentions the fact that the Coronavirus pandemic has brought to focus another huge problem - the pandemic of loneliness.
The phenomena is not unique to the American population. A quick Google search brought me results where Telecompaper ran an article on 23rd April about a rise in phone calls in the UK. And Euronews ran one on 25th which mentioned the same phenomena across Europe.
Though I couldn't find one particular to India, I found a couple of news items along similar lines. Reliance Jio, Airtel, and Idea-Vodafone, or in other words, all the big telecom companies in India, have extended their incoming calls validity in view of the lockdown. The Economic Times ran an article on 19th April, showing how many young professionals are dealing with increased anxiety due to loneliness. The article goes on to mention how these youngsters are finding ways to deal with the loneliness, which include spending lots of time on social media, staying connected with people through video calls, dating, or picking up various hobbies or projects.
All this goes on to show how people are craving the human touch, the human voice, or in other words, they are craving companionship. Mohler in his podcast, says that we as Christians, have a theological explanation for this. God made man in His image, and this craving for connection is certainly a part of our design. God said, "it is not good for man to be alone." Though written in the immediate context of the marital relationship, it can be applied to a larger theme.
But we don't just have a theological explanation, but also, according to Mohler, we can see a missiological opportunity in this. People are longing for human companionship. People want to talk. People are anxious. And they want to talk. As someone who generally avoids being in contact with people through the phone, it is particularly a wake up call for me. And perhaps all of us Christians need to reach out to people around us.
I am in no way discounting the work of trained counselors and psychiatrists. We definitely need such support. However, we can also do our part. We could call a friend whom we haven't spoken to in a long time. Or maybe a family relative whom we have drifted away from. There is a mission here for us. To love and serve our neighbour. It could be to just lend a listening ear. Or to offer comfort to people. To be a friend.
Ultimately, however, we realise that it is only God who can offer comfort to a lonely heart. And as we comfort people, we point people towards the ultimate comforter, Jesus Christ, who promised to be with his disciples "always, to the end of the ages." (Mathew 28:20)
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