A fresh hell of imbecility: Loneliness declared a “public health emergency.”
“The whole conviction of my life now rests upon the belief that loneliness, far from being a rare and curious phenomenon, peculiar to myself and to a few other solitary men, is the central and inevitable fact of human existence.”
—Thomas Wolfe
“It is when we try to grapple with another man’s intimate need that we perceive how incomprehensible, wavering, and misty are the beings that share with us the sight of the stars and the warmth of the sun. It is as if loneliness were a hard and absolute condition of existence…”
—Joseph Conrad, Lord Jim
“We are all so much together, but we are all dying of loneliness.”
—Albert Schweitzer
The San Franscisco Bay Area is infamous for kooky or otherwise boneheaded political notions. Our local politicians love to inconvenience decent people, indulge bad behavior, and stick their noses into matters which are none of the government’s business, particularly if those matters afford the opportunity for imbecilic virtue-signaling (e.g., banning gas stoves, sanctuary city declarations). Regarding the latter, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors decided to tell the rest of the Bay Area, “Hold my beer.”
As reported in the New York Post, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a resolution which declares loneliness a public health emergency. Of course, it was a unanimous vote; these glib concoctions are typically presented in such a way that people are terrified to vote against them, even if the imbecility is self-evident. “Oh, so you’re for loneliness!” would be an aspersion likely cast against any pol with the temerity to express doubts about the wisdom of this resolution.
In a similar vein, several years ago the city in which I live in the Bay Area passed a moronic resolution against hate. “Oh, so you’re for hate!” [Sigh.] I’m not for or against hate. Hate is an honest human emotion—in fact, sometimes it’s damn warranted. It’s how we act despite the hate in our hearts that matters. I can attest that despite this anti-hate resolution, the amount of hate in my town remains pervasive and intractable. Maybe they didn’t go far enough and should’ve “medicalized” the issue by declaring hate a public health emergency. (Let’s not give them any ideas!)
All these sanctimonious resolutions do is give fools license to pretend they’re caring and compassionate, when they most certainly are neither. Trust me, when it gets down to substantive issues, the ostensible do-gooders who propose these inane resolutions are the same people who cause demonstrable harm to others. Just witness the results of their global warming hysteria or pro-criminal proclivities. Don’t be fooled. These are not nice people. And in the interest of full disclosure: neither am I.
But there’s more! To further amp-up the imbecility, San Mateo’s resolution asks that the State of California create a “minister of loneliness” position. Hoo-boy, can you imagine what the qualifications for that position might be and the ridiculous ideas sure to spew forth from such a bureaucracy—a minister needs his or her bureau, certainly. Being California, there is the likelihood that a State Board of Loneliness is created to oversee this new ministry, serving as a well-paid sinecure for political hacks.
We sane adults must ask ourselves: Is this really an issue for the government to involve itself? Is loneliness a disease? Exactly how would the Minister of Loneliness address this public health emergency? Will the person work towards a vaccine for loneliness? Do we quarantine the lonely until their condition is improved, so as to not risk “infecting” others with their despondency? Do we empower the agricultural check stations to not just look for infected fruits, vegetables, and plants, but also screen visitors for any loneliness they might sneak into our state? Not finding the love of your life is a contributing factor for loneliness. Should the government operate a dating site for its lonely hearts or subsidize dates for its lonely poor?
This resolution is a dumb idea, and I say this not just because of my natural snark (though that’s certainly a part of it!). Firstly, this is a childish misuse of the concept of a public health emergency. Loneliness is not a pandemic, a large-scale foodborne illness outbreak, or a jellied-candy that poses a choking hazard to toddlers.
Instead, loneliness is an emotion that is within our souls, something inherent to the human condition. Loneliness is a potentially devastating emotional state, both physically and mentally, but emotions are not within the government’s purview, nor should they be. This resolution is a micromanagey and comically narcissistic overreach of the government’s legitimate role of providing basic mental health services for its citizens. It is like fooling oneself into believing that a meaningful tool for tackling violent crime would be to pass a resolution against anger.
The government has no business inside our hearts or minds. Allowing politicians to believe they can intervene in thoughts and feelings is to indulge the natural totalitarian tendency of our Bay Area pols, and nothing good can come of that. Remember when folks once said, “Keep the government out of our bedrooms.” I agree. Keep the government out of our brains, as well.
This resolution also shows a lack of seriousness regarding real issues. There is work the government can do that improves lives. The government’s role is roads, sewers, and other tangible things. Just work on the basics and let each of us deal with the other more personal vicissitudes of life on our own. This may include availing oneself of mental health services, and this does not require a resolution targeting a specific emotion. The government can indirectly alleviate the so-called loneliness problem. For example, good roads to get oneself to a date or other social engagement; police protection so we might socialize in safety; and good stewardship of our tax dollars so we are left with enough disposable income to spend on a decent date night.
We don’t need these meaningless resolutions. We certainly don’t need a minister of loneliness and the inevitable bloated cost of such an additional bureaucracy, one that is sure to be cringey and intrusive as hell. What we need are actual adults elected to positions of leadership and who understand the limits of government and its proper role in our lives.
Finally, ask yourself this, since the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors decided to medicalize loneliness: Were a vaccine that prevented loneliness somehow made, would you take it? Would you force others to take it? The people who pass these types of resolutions are likely to answer yes to both these questions. And that should terrify you far more than the fear of aloneness.
Link to the New York Post article (have a barf bag handy while reading it):
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