We Rhineland-Palatinate fights against loneliness

EA fight is taking place. Politicians from practically all parties are as united and united in their choice of words as if they had concluded a pact with Germany. The enemy: loneliness. Warnings and appeals are issued.

“Everyone can feel lonely,” said Hendrik Wüst (CDU), Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, in his government statement. Federal Family Minister Lisa Paus (Greens) reported that she had experienced loneliness herself – when breaking up with her first boyfriend and as a single mother. You feel left out, says Paus. The CSU politician Klaus Holetschek, while still minister of health, spoke about the serious consequences that loneliness can have on the body and mind. Paus warned against “withdrawing from society” and that loneliness ultimately endangers “social and democratic cohesion”.

There is already a loneliness strategy in North Rhine-Westphalia and the federal government, and Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate are planning something similar. A campaign by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs entitled “GemEINSAM” also showed a video: First a woman dances contentedly in the club, then the picture turns black and white and it turns out that she is actually lonely. A feeling that affects even seemingly happy people, is the message. In the future, an action week against loneliness will take place every year, the main goal: to raise awareness.

Loneliness is a popular topic

For politicians, the fight against loneliness is grateful. Because raising awareness alone doesn't cost much. With so much attention now being generated, the question arises: Can the state do more than the consciousness of its citizens – and why is the topic so popular right now?

Alexander Schweitzer is actually the wrong person to fight against loneliness. The SPD politician says that he never felt it. Of course, he knows the feeling that he is on his own, that it depends on him. “But that’s something different,” he says. During the pandemic, the politician missed conversations at parties and events, on the sidelines of the plenary session and in the parliamentary group. Schweitzer, Minister for Social Affairs and Labor in Rhineland-Palatinate, felt “low sugar” when meeting people.

But he suddenly had time. There were no trips to the state capital, home office; the wine festivals or community anniversaries that Schweitzer would otherwise have been at were canceled. He decided to offer a shopping service in his Südliche Weinstrasse constituency. He quickly learned that the mostly older people didn't need much, but it had to be exactly the products they had ordered. The chat during the handover turned out to be just as important as the food itself. Schweitzer usually stood in front of doors for ten to 15 minutes, keeping his distance, and talked about everyday life or Corona policy. He noticed that many of his “customers” had practically no more social encounters since they stopped shopping. Even before Corona, they were pretty isolated. Schweitzer wanted to do something about it.

Many people only really noticed loneliness during the pandemic. Some believed they were feeling it a little bit due to the mandatory social isolation. Being alone or isolated is not the same as being lonely. According to psychologists, loneliness is the difference between the social relationships you want and the ones you have. It is not the mass that is important, but usually the depth.