A lonely nation: Has the notion of the 'American way' promoted isolation across history?
American lore is full of tales of the lone cowboy, the rugged individualist who will do what needs to be done and ride off into the sunset. In reality, loneliness in America can be deadly. This month, the U.S. surgeon general declared it an epidemic, saying that it takes as deadly a toll as smoking. He cited some potent forces: the gradual withering of longstanding institutions, decreased engagement with churches, the fraying bonds of families. So does the focus on American individualism encourage isolation and alienation? Perhaps that is, like other chunks of the American story, a premise bui...
Source: apnews.com
