Atomization and our Natural State

The world is becoming smaller in one sense. We can reach across the world and communicate with others instantaneously. At the same time, people seem to feel more isolated than they ever have. This trend has been referred to as social atomization, where we are increasingly being connected to greater amounts of people, but are distancing ourselves mentally, emotionally, and even physically.

I would assume the rise of this condition has to do with our longing to find a happy ground between the contrary states of autonomy and sociality, but I think it also raises a fundamental question about us as persons; which is, are we inherently alone with periods of connection, or are we inherently connected with periods of isolation?

Though this may seem like asking if a zebra is black with white stripes, or white with black stripes, the way we answer this has significant implications for how we live. This is because, if we are inherently alone, then we should adjust our expectations and life accordingly. Aloneness would be our natural state and not something to run away from. And if “All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone” (Pascal), then embracing it could be a superpower that is accessible to all of us.