Feeling lonely? Must be all that dang American-flavored rugged individualism!

Unfortunately, we’re living through a loneliness epidemic, and US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy says that for those living through it, it can be as deadly as smoking 15 cigarettes per day.

And why? Well, you could point to the COVID-19 pandemic, but there’s also increased political polarization, the rise of social media, and institutional decay. And, does it have anything to do with the “American Dream” and its de-emphasizing of community in favor of bootstraps and going it lone wolf style? That’s a pretty good question, and you should definitely read Ted Anthony’s piece over at PBS about how loneliness, like jazz, is an entirely unique American art form.