Overpopulation and loneliness

How can these two social factors be increasing, at the same time?

I often go to a supermarket in the Netherlands where they give free coffee - and everytime I sit down, lonely old people also sit down, looking for some type of human interaction. A smile, a nod or a friendly greet.

I always feel guilty for not knowing a word in dutch, but sometimes a smile is better than anything you could say to a broken person.

And I can't ever recover from not being able to help these people. You can see their spirit is broken. They are old, they don't have much material stuff in their life, and worst of all, they don't have anyone to talk to. Are they just waiting to die?

I look at their eyes and I see depression. I think to myself how interesting is that emotions can have such an impact on the health of a human being. You can exercise, you can eat lean, you can go to the doctor every week - but when the very thing that makes us human, which is cooperation and compassion, is failling in your life, nothing else matters - it is extremely destructive.

Gladly, the Netherlands is promoting some initiatives solving two problems with one stone (?) - increased housing prices and loneliness, where young people can live with elders in exchange for housing and company.

Although, this is not a definitive solution to the problem, as very often people who suffer from loneliness also suffer of some type of mental issue - and that creates incompatibilities - which also leads them to be lonely in the first place.

And it is not like you don't know who these people are - it is not a hidden epidemic - at least for myself, I can tell them apart as soon as I see them. I already know all the identifying factors. Maybe I can see people's souls, I don't know.

Next time you too see someone suffering from loneliness give them a smile and a small word - it might help them a lot.