The way forward is connection

A new crop of gangly, awkward, inexperienced teenagers will become registered voters before the coming election. This bunch was 11 when former President Donald Trump was elected — they won’t remember John McCain responding to a rally attendee that President Barack Obama “is a decent man.” They won’t recall a time when broad bipartisan support brought the Americans with Disabilities Act to fruition. It is unlikely the young voters are aware of Republican President George W. Bush’s calls for a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, or that Democratic Vice President Walter Mondale decried excessive spending and the growing deficit. From the echo chambers of social media algorithms and curated content, it can be difficult to ascertain just how fluid some of these issue based positions have been — both at the party level and as individual lawmakers have experienced an evolution of opinion.

We expect a lot from these young voters, our hope for a brighter future, our village children. We are aware that they are struggling with human connection — and frankly, so are we. During the years when social anxiety is humming in the ears of most teens at a fever pitch, they have had to experience mass isolation and then rejoin their peers in person: a feat that has many adults struggling to reestablish communication and maintain meaningful relationships. The past few years have been exhausting. Decadeslong friendships and family ties have been cut short by disagreements. Patience has worn thin. We have missed critical milestone events in the lives of people we once cared about. We experienced a pandemic that claimed 1.1 million people in the United States. We have lost people we couldn’t afford to lose.

The impact of isolation, polarization, and loss is taking a toll on our collective well-being. The World Health Organization identified a 25 percent increase in anxiety and depression associated with isolation, stress, and grief due to the pandemic. A 2022 study also linked political polarization with declining health outcomes. We as individuals, our communities, and our nation are worse off when we avoid interacting with people who we perceive as part of an out-group. The less we experience diversity firsthand, the more we tend to make assumptions that contribute to ongoing inequities that tear us apart.

How do we end the self-cannibalizing feedback loop? There is research that has demonstrated a positive result from social capital interventions in achieving improved public health outcomes; that is to say, seeking opportunities to build human connection for the purpose of improved individual and collective well-being. We have the ability to make our world a better place by bridging the gap, and by intentionally developing relationships with people who don’t eat like us, think like us, or pray like us.

This year, it is my intention to seek out and amplify the stories of the people in our community who are creating spaces for connection, and those who are sharing their own stories of overcoming to uplift others. Within these dialogues, it is my hope that we might get to know each other, and ourselves, a little better. To overcome our assumptions and our fears. To find something familiar and poignant in the experiences of someone we have never met. The conversations won’t always be easy or comfortable, but the mission is worth the journey. We owe it to ourselves, and to the generations that follow.

Sofia DeMartino is a Gazette editorial fellow. sofia.demartino@thegazette.com