Pandemics

It seems everyone is concerned about the Coronavirus.

Governments are closing borders and quarantining millions of their citizens. People are wearing masks and canceling flights. But most probably, come Spring, we will have the upper hand, the stock market will regain its loses, and we will be back to our normal lives.

Meanwhile, there is another type of pandemic raging through our society and, like Coronavirus, it kills more elderly than any other age group. This pandemic is called loneliness, and it affects 28% of our elderly who live alone and are abandoned by society and their kids, who at best are struggling to earn a living and making ends meet themselves.

From the age of seventeen when I first came to America by myself without knowing a soul or speaking the language, till I was 25, I was the loneliest person I knew, so I know what its like to feel disconnected. Today, I feel fortunate to be a member of our City Club community and encourage all our members to reach out to the awkward teenager looking to find himself, or the newly widowed mourning a loss, and offer your time and an ear.

While nearly everyone else advises us to minimize physical contact with others to avoid Coronavirus, I want to encourage you to try and connect with others at the heart level to improve your emotional health.