In a place like Berkeley, where there is gratification from doing well academically and our life satisfaction is supposedly tied to high achievement, why is it that there is a lot of unhappiness radiating from everyone? Complaints about stress, complaints about loneliness. If you’re anywhere in the same boat, I completely understand you but I also believe that propgation of change is entirely necessary.
Loneliness is termed as a medical issue because people who are lonely are at great risks for health problems, a well-known fact by now. Research also shows that loneliness has a self-inforcing loop. It often springs up in people who are more cynical, very self-conscious, and have low esteem. Most of us have felt this way. I am not claiming that the environment we are in is the sole reason for low esteem but we’ve all felt not good enough whether that be after taking a midterm and trying your absolute best and receiving a score nowhere near you desired or writing a paper that was not up to par in the professor’s standards.
Lonely individuals are prone to negative unspoken communication to others but are also constantly eliciting it from their interactions with other people. Negative interactions transmits and affects the lonely individual which transmits more negative vibes so that others may not want to interact with the individual. So what does that entail for us at a school where we feel like so little people have got our backs?
While we, as the Berkeley community, are the outspoken advocates for so many societal issues that need to be addressed, let us not forget that while we’re in Pimental or in Dwinelle or in Moffit, the person sitting to our left may just need an ounce of reassurance. In the same way that loneliness is a perpetuating cycle, I am beyond confident that support has the potential for cyclic growth as well. Let’s not hesitate to reach out in the ways we can, let’s not hesitate to build support by reminding one another of our worths regardless of anything.