Dear LPG,

I think that the whole lock-down process has left sections of the world’s public with a little more knowledge of what it is like to be really lonely.

I have always thought that we people of the older generation are most likely to live on their own, but things are changing. I found some statistics on the subject which explain that more and more of us are joining the one-person household brigade, and more of those people are becoming younger. 

The ones that have outside interests are likely to be fine about it, and when you first find yourself alone there is an air of satisfaction to be had because there is something very special about being master (or mistress) of your own little bit of the world, no matter how small it is.  You can do exactly what you want in your own home and most workers spend their days being told what to do; an indignation that living alone exempts you from because once you get home the only rules are the ones you make. When it is measured against all the rules and regulations beyond the front door, living in your own space has to be special for some.

We all have choices and when we choose to be, or find ourselves, alone it can be good to feel that sense of freedom for many, but for the older ones, it is often the case that they don’t have the physical ability to get out and, for them, that freedom soon becomes a different sort of imprisonment.    

Whether we live alone or not, the past few months have taught us what it is like to be alienated from the rest of the world even though we are slowly being allowed to come out the other side now.  We have all heard stories about how hard people have found the experience in general, some because of being alone, and others because being forced to live with the same people comes with its own set of problems. 

Recently there have been many campaigns driven by the television stations, government and media in general reminding us of the importance of staying in touch and talking to each other and people have been so kind.  It also is true that the electronic aspects of communication must now have a lot more meaning for many more people.

I would like to think that the younger people manage to continue to find the time to make some of the telephone calls that were just intended to make sure that neighbours were all right, and also  that all those older people who have found themselves mastering the lessons on how to use Skype, FaceTime, Zoom and some of the other video-calling apps will continue to keep up the practise by remembering, that when lock-down ceases to be a fact of life for us and becomes a part of our history, we still will need to make the time to keep in touch with  those for whom lock-down was a way of life long before Coronavirus.     

CM, Grove Park

CM shares the statistics which sparked her message today

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