Essays From West of 98: Isolation, Community, and Otto
Isolation makes us weaker. Community makes us stronger.
What is the first negative thing mentioned in the biblical story of Creation? Think about it for just a minute. The light, land and sea, plants and animals, day and night, and the creation of man are all described as good. But then, one thing in particular is not:
“The Lord God said, ‘it is not good for the man to be alone.’” –Genesis 2:18
This had never occurred to me until last year, when my friend Shannon Ferrell made this observation. Professor Ferrell (I’ve mentioned him in this space before) was recounting to a lawyer seminar about his struggles with the isolation of COVID—19 protocols, particularly as a university professor.
As I’ve written previously, loneliness is a difficult feeling. It affects our mental and physical health alike. It also affects the health of our society. I’m not just talking about the isolating aspects of COVID protocols, either. Our so-called “modern society” has imposed more isolation throughout our lives. It is unquestionably bad for us. Wendell Berry has written that when neighbors replace local stories with stories from television, and when they sit in the house and watch television instead of talking on front porches, a profound disintegration has taken place. Certainly, social media has made this even worse. When we spend our time watching television and scrolling social media, instead of talking to one another, it isolates us. And in the earliest days of Creation itself, God saw that this was not good.
It’s not just the time spent away from others. We’re constantly bombarded with political opinions, advertising pitches, and antiseptically-named “content.” In so many ways, this pushes us to be suspicious, angry, and unhappy, both with others and with our own lives. This makes it harder to happily work and live with one another. As we spend more time in isolation (physically or mentally), becomes harder to overcome its effects.
We’re not meant to live this way.
This is beautifully illustrated in the new Tom Hanks film, “A Man Called Otto.” You might have seen this film or read the book it’s based on, but if not, I’ll try not to spoil much. It is the story of a retiring Pittsburgh steelworker who is, in a word, grumpy. He’s annoyed by his neighbors, a stray cat, UPS drivers, store clerks, and anyone and anything he encounters. But he’s not JUST a jerk. It becomes clear that he’s lonely. He’s isolated himself and it has made him unhappier. He “retires” (a move that clearly wasn’t his choice) and he loses one of the few sources of meaning in his life. The film shares the story of a young family moving in across the street from Otto and how it impacts him. From the young family to the aging neighbor couple to the overly cheery workout guy to the struggling teenager impacted by Otto’s wife’s teaching career, Otto’s shell slowly cracks. It’s no confluence of random events. This is the story of people who overcome a variety of societal forces to live in community with one another.
It’s a powerful and timely message.
Last week, I wrote that rural revitalization is a farce if it does not strengthen the ties between individuals into better, healthier communities. Otto learns exactly what I’m talking about. People who live in isolation find less purpose in their own life. When they struggle with their purpose, they likely also struggle with bettering the world and the people around them. As Otto re-centered his purpose, it rubbed off on his neighbors and it influenced others.
As we learned during the pandemic, virtual interaction has some merits, but it is no substitute for the very real ties of community that are created in person. Our rural places will not grow stronger so long as we let society impose its isolating forces on us. We will grow stronger when we overcome those forces and make intentional effort to rebuild and strengthen our personal interactions. That is the lesson that Otto learned, much to his initial chagrin. It is a message that will restore our places into vibrant, healthy communities.
📷: Sarah Cox at the Grand Theatre in Stamford
James Decker is the Mayor of Stamford, Texas and the creator of the West of 98 website and podcast. Contact James and subscribe to these essays at westof98.substack.com and subscribe to West of 98 wherever podcasts are found.