As we barrel headlong into another new year, I’ve been sifting through that sticky, residual mental sap and posing some tough questions. Do we really need others, or can we exist entirely on our own? Has our modern world made true and total isolation a feasible proposition, or is there still some genetic hardwiring preventing us from cutting that last remaining tether and finally flying entirely free?
I’m about as close as you can get to maintaining a pure, solitary life. I work from home as a transplant in a city with no connections. I don’t go to restaurants, bars, clubs, theaters, sporting events, parties, or gatherings of any kind. I never travel or take vacations. I haven’t spoken to the majority of my friends in years. Most days, I can log fewer than 20 total audible words. (Well, maybe it’s closer to 20,000 if we’re taking those babbling Dax conversations into account. But he doesn’t answer back.) I occasionally see fellow employees sitting in little boxes on Zoom calls, and I primarily stay updated on the health and safety of anyone else I know via random IG posts.
So, I’ll ask again…do we actually need to spend any extended time with other human beings? Obviously, ultra-extroverts have a certain inclination to replenish their empty energy reserves by sucking the vitality from anyone in their physical proximity. But for those of us who straddle the line between a desperate addiction to gossip and a monklike vow of silence, can we exist chiefly within the walls of our own minds?
The science says otherwise. Many studies point to the irrefutable evidence that a full, gratifying existence on this polluted, spinning rock in space relies heavily on at least some interaction with those of your fellow species. We are social primates, and connection is a basic human need—as vital as food or water, essential for our biological survival, brain development, mental health, physical well-being, and overall happiness.
Research shows that these strong ties can reduce stress, lessen the risk of disease, and even increase lifespan. Extended isolation significantly harms physical and mental health.
Eh. What has science ever gotten right? Oh, wait…everything.
Shit.
…and stop killing animals.
Solitary Alignment 