I was just reading a couple of articles on isolation. Studies done on people who have been placed in solitary confinement, show that they become hyper sensitive to external stimuli, that they have trouble concentrating, panic attacks, obtrusive negative thinking patterns and more. Isolation is serious business. They’ve done other studies on monkeys and mice. They’ve found intensive harm is done in isolation.
Of course, many of these studies were done on the extreme. With long periods of isolation. Yet, doesn’t it make sense that isolation simply isn’t good? When God created Eve it was because it wasn’t good for man to be alone. From the very beginning we were created for partnership and community.
Though I teach Grief Recovery classes, a good portion of my day is spent working from home… alone. I find that I have to be careful to not spend too much time without connection because it affects me. I become depressive or anxious. It kind of creeps in. I don’t realize it and before you know it I’m not doing so well. Negative thinking subtly sneaks up on me and before you know it I’m starting to buy in to the idea that maybe I’m not so important after all or perhaps this vision I’ve had just isn’t a good idea, I mean what’s the point anyway? And that’s on a good day. Imagine how much worse when we are going through struggles. Yet, isn’t that when we tend to isolate the most?
I believe that Satan has done a number on our society when it comes to community. We’ve been inundated with messages about independence, making it on our own, beating out the other person, making it to the top (wherever that is), and if things are tough, well those that buckle down and push through are the ones that rise up. Our very worth is often dependent on our ability to do it alone. So we hide our deep desire for connection in order to fit it and look strong. We can feel alone in a crowd of people. It’s a lie. Aloneness weakens us.
The Bible describes Satan as a roaring lion who prowls around looking for someone to devour. When we sit in aloneness and independence we are easy prey. Think about the analogy. A lion hunts prey based on how easy they are to get to. Those that are alone, young, old or weak are the ones that the lion goes for. Not those protected by the pack. I don’t know about you; however, I fully believe and have experienced first hand the battle between good and evil. We may not see it, yet it is swirling around us in our daily lives. And when we carry unhealed or unresolved emotional wounds no matter how buried they are, we become even more susceptible to the lion.
As scary as it can be to admit at times. I need people in my life. I need friendship. You know, those people that love you without judgement. That you can share your heart without worry about how it may come across. It’s one of the reasons that I teach Grief Recovery. For 10 weeks there is a community of people that provide support without judgement or condemnation. It is the reason why the class is so powerful. It’s amazing how people will flourish in that environment. Transformation is not done in a vacuum, it’s not possible. We need other people.
This is an incredible video that demonstrates how we respond to love. The woman in this video had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and was virtually nonverbal.
