Reflections Post-EU Elections and Loneliness Awareness Week
Plus, This Week’s Community Event: Connection, Third Places and Democracy
This morning I woke up to more detailed poll results from this year’s EU elections with an uneasy feeling. While the pro-European center holds in the parliament, the far-right surge across many countries, particularly Germany and France, is a bitter pill to swallow.
Especially concerning is that young people, including some first-time voters as young as 16, correlate with this trend. In Germany, for example, polls indicate that the far-right AfD party (Alternative für Deutschland) has gained five points in support from the 16-24 age group. In France, Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (Rassemblement National) is the most popular choice in the 18-34 age group.
This demographic, young adults (19-29), are also reportedly feeling increasingly lonely.
This is not a coincidence.
Loneliness is political, too—and can be a threat to democracy.
I’m reminded of political philosopher Hannah Arendt who escaped Nazism in 1941 to the United States, lived many years as a stateless person, and was deeply familiar with feeling “unhomed”. In her writings, she investigated loneliness as a state of feeling abandoned that can make people more susceptible to totalitarianism.
She learned that lonely people are abandoned ”people who don’t belong to the world at all, which is among the most radical and desperate experiences of humankind.”
While I don't want to point fingers solely at the young generation for the results of this election or simplify the reasonings for those voting choices, it's deeply concerning to see how many people are seemingly feeling a sense of neglect and abandonment, and therefore are looking for a “perpetrator” to blame for their circumstances, to rally against, and to find connection and comfort through shared ressentiment—a sense of hostility directed towards others.
Right-wing populist and anti-democratic movements in general, as I wrote before, are well-versed in offering a sense of community alongside the narrative of fear and separation. In addition, as David Sinared, a professor of political science at the Free University of Brussels put it:
“The radical right channels anti-establishment feelings. They have a bit of a rebellious vibe—especially when it comes to their anti-woke agenda—and that appeals to young people. These messages ignite an emotional response, and that’s why they are boosted by the algorithm, especially on TikTok. The far-right invested in social media very early on - and now, they are reaping the rewards.”
Instead of more blaming, shaming, and alienation, I believe this moment reveals, too, a cry many of us share for longing to be in connection, but not knowing how.
Understanding the many different nuances of loneliness and coming together through it might sound completely utopian and wishful thinking, and yet, it is a possibility worth moving towards.
So here’s my invitation to begin with something small, together.
In light of Loneliness Awareness Week, initiated by UK-based Marmalade Trust, we’ll come together at this Wednesday’s community event titled: Connection, Third Places, and Democracy.
Join us and a line-up of guest speakers who are each contributing to a sense of connection, community, and collective healing. 🌟
⏰ This Wednesday, June 12, 7 pm CEST | 10 am PST on Zoom
With Parneet Pal, Harvard- and Columbia-trained physician educator on our personal and planetary health and wellbeing 🌍; Jordy van Bennekom, on the behind-the-scenes of The Offline Club® and the need for new third places 📚, Ieva Cesnulaityte, founding head of research and learning at DemocracyNext on reimagining a citizen-led democracy 🗳️, and Lori Schwanbeck, psychotherapist, mindfulness teacher, and Humanize facilitator on how to cultivate “connection skills” like empathy and compassion. 🙏
You’ll hear from each one of them, get the chance to share your questions, and reflections, or simply listen in, and—if you feel like it—practice a “random act of connection” in a safe and fun way. Promise.
Hope to see you there!
With love and care,
Monika