I agree with almost everything in this article, except that statement. This strange and stressful time is probably more difficult for many people who live alone. Some people who live alone will be fine because they have figured out how to do it. But for many others, they depend on their work life or social life to maintain some kind of connection with people. Without those interactions they become more isolated. Using technology to keep in contact is helpful, but it really doesn’t fulfill the need.

I think our society seems to be full of extroverts because, obviously, those are the people we see, hear, and hear about the most. There are a lot of people who crave attention, and a lot of them have developed ways to get attention, and a few of them are worth the attention they get. But I would say, based only on anecdotal evidence, that for everyone who is out there, telling stories, spewing opinions, giving directions, or just initiating contacts, there are two or three people who are either just watching those people, or who are not paying much attention at all.

I am older, and I have what people are calling “an underlying condition.” So i am protecting myself from the perils of the unseeable virus by not being in the physical presence of anyone but my wife. And she is stuck with me. Fortunately, we have learned to forgive each other for our unchangeable deficiencies, and we get along quite well.

But we both miss our work and friends, even though we were hardly working at this stage of our lives. Our first priority at this strange moment in history is to stay alive though it all. We know we have to do that together. Our kids keep in touch through technology, phones, FaceTime and Zoom, mostly. And so do our friends. We all encourage each other to stay safe.

So we don’t feel lonely. We just have this constant, underlying feeling that something is wrong. When we examine that feeling a little more deeply, it becomes clear that what is bothering us is that if we make one wrong move we could get infected and die. It’s just that bothersome specter of death lingering outside our door.

It must be much worse to have to feel that and to be by yourself.

So, as the doctor strongly recommends, check on people you know. The ones who may be wondering who they can call if they begin to feel sick. Just knowing someone is thinking about them will help keep them healthy.