Friday, June 23, 2006

got friends?

According to FoxNews, a recent study showed that Americans have fewer close friends than they did 20 years ago. While the sample size is miniscule (so it's hard to judge the validity) this is an interesting result. Are we becoming a more isolated group of people?

My wife is my best friend (or rather second best), and I also have a few others that I feel free to confide in. And while my relationships with many in the Church are only at the surface, there are some with whom I do feel real friendship.

If the study is accurate, I wonder if the results are different across religious beliefs. Certainly loneliness is a problem the Church is designed to solve. It's supposed to be a community of believers - a diverse group of people working for common purposes. But then, what am I doing to befriend those on the fringes?

1 comment:

Brett Royal said...

I wonder how many people still have friends and aquaintances but are still lonely. I remember one time in my life when I was at a Sunday School party with a group of people that I knew and was comfortable with. For whatever reason, I felt very lonely. I can't explain why, but I remember the feeling vividly, and that was over 10 years ago.