Existentialism and Le Suicide Part 2

If viewing the problem of suicide from an existential viewpoint, lack of meaning or the crisis of meaninglessness; with greater human detachment; and a weaker sense of belonging are increasing the risk of existential despair. More specifically, a few diagnostic symptoms of an Affective Disorder include feelings of inadequacy, decreased effectiveness or productivity, social withdrawal, loss of interest in or enjoyment of pleasurable activities, inability to respond with apparent pleasure to praise or reward, pessimistic attitude towards the future, brooding about past events, or feeling sorry for oneself fit, correspond, and are associated with existential despair. Despite the electronic explosion of smart phones, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc., we continue to have significant loneliness among our inhabitants. They call loneliness an epidemic in Great Britain. A disruption to one’s affiliative needs runs counter to man’s nature. Affiliation or the necessity to unite with other living beings is paramount for growth and well-being. Loneliness suggests a perceived lack of belonging, connecting, and/or solidarity. This results in a sense of alienation, which has disastrous consequences for its effect on identity. To make matters worse, Electronics have reduced important face-to-face interaction, despite plenty of texting. People handle, touch, and fondle their smart phone more than they do others. They probably also fondle their pets more than other Homo sapiens as well. Living in a different era while residing In Detroit, as a teen, I delivered the Detroit News to people who resided on my block, etc. As a result of friendships with neighbor kids and my paper route customers, I became familiar with many of my neighbors. My mother, being a friendly type, also knew many in our neighborhood. I completed my PhD and subsequently took an assistant professorship at California State University in San Bernardino. It just so happened, that one of my former customers daughter had moved to Fontana, California. Talking with the neighbor, my mother gave me the phone number, and address in Fontana to contact. I arrived in San Bernardino on a Sunday morning and called my former neighbor. She was married and invited me over to meet the family. Her husband and I looked through the paper and found some rentals in the San Bernardino Mountains. We found a place near Lake Arrowhead, which I rented. That’s an example of face-to-face neighbor to neighbor interaction and meaningful interpersonal contact back in the day without the Internet, and without a cell phone. Those facts were all pluses on the balance sheet. To Be Continued