{"id":2272481,"date":"2026-02-08T12:15:18","date_gmt":"2026-02-08T12:15:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2272481"},"modified":"2026-02-08T12:15:18","modified_gmt":"2026-02-08T12:15:18","slug":"a-modest-idea-to-combat-the-epidemic-of-loneliness-entertainment-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/a-modest-idea-to-combat-the-epidemic-of-loneliness-entertainment-life\/","title":{"rendered":"A modest idea to combat the epidemic of loneliness | Entertainment\/Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

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I think a lot about the loneliness epidemic and what we can do to help people who are lonely.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I have an idea.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not a grand solution. It\u2019s smaller than that \u2014 and maybe that\u2019s the point.<\/p>\n

Hold that thought.\u00a0<\/p>\n

An unlikely source provided my favorite bit of writing advice\u00a0\u2014 it came from the freshman composition professor of my daughters’ long-ago babysitter. Even though our daughters are both twentysomethings, the babysitter is still very much part of our lives.<\/p>\n

I messaged her to see if she could remember her professor’s name. We combined our brains and pieced together that his name was Vince Marino, editor emeritus of The Daily Advertiser in Lafayette.\u00a0<\/p>\n

His advice: “Specific is terrific.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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What an incredibly helpful sentence it is. Nearly 25 years later, I say it to young reporters often. Through the years, I’ve shared it with every writing student I’ve ever taught.<\/p>\n

It’s great advice for writing and so much more. In writing, I believe specificity is a mysterious means toward universality. I don’t know exactly how that works, but it does.<\/p>\n

So, what does “specific is terrific” have to do with the epidemic of loneliness?<\/p>\n

Perhaps one small way to push back against loneliness is to encourage people to develop highly specific, personally meaningful interests \u2014 not to master them or monetize them, but simply to tend to them.<\/p>\n

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Jan Risher found this porcelain doll’s arm while metal detecting in a cane field in central Louisiana.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\n BY JAN RISHER | Staff writer<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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The trick is to find something that tickles your fancy \u2014 something that just makes you happier and creates more wonder about your world.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Over the years, I\u2019ve noticed that the people who seem most quietly content often have one oddly specific thing they care deeply about. Sometimes they even have more than one of those things. Even if I don’t share their interest, I appreciate their enthusiasm, their willingness to share their quirk and follow their hearts.<\/p>\n

Many of the happiest people I know aren\u2019t especially charismatic. They\u2019re just deeply absorbed in something\u00a0\u2014 like some of the people I’ve met through metal detecting in Louisiana cane fields.<\/p>\n

Though I don’t go\u00a0as often as I’d like, having the hobby has introduced me to people and places I would have never gone otherwise. Plus, I’ve learned so much about the history of my adopted state.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The point isn\u2019t simply the hobby itself \u2014 it\u2019s how specific it is that takes it a step further.\u00a0Even still, the pursuit doesn\u2019t need to be a lifelong commitment.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Some hobby ideas are quiet. Some are tactile, and some are a little strange.<\/p>\n

Here are places to start:<\/p>\n

Take up amateur bookbinding. Become an urban forager. Experiment with sound recording (creaking doors, footsteps, wind).\u00a0<\/p>\n

Master paper mache. Create your own collage postcards. Do home fermentation projects (kombucha, sauerkraut, miso). Make homemade hot sauce. Plant an herbal tea garden.<\/p>\n

Then, there are the collectors, makers and dancers.<\/p>\n

Collect porcelain rabbits or door knockers from flea markets or estate sales. Keep bees and bottle the honey. Belly dance. Learn calligraphy. Take up archery. Make fly fishing lures.\u00a0Learn to identify mushrooms.\u00a0There is no shortage of options.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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For Jan Risher, metal detecting in a Louisiana cane field offers sights she simply wouldn’t see otherwise\u00a0\u2014 plus, it’s a great way to spend time outside.<\/p>\n

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\n BY JAN RISHER | Staff writer<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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Here’s the thing: Hobbies aren\u2019t about mastery or monetization \u2014 they\u2019re about attention.<\/p>\n

Loneliness shrinks when we pay close attention to something. Often, as we practice, we get better. We still may never become an expert watercolorist, but if we pay attention and continue to try, over time, we improve.<\/p>\n

Along the way, we also find others who are interested and working on their craft\u00a0\u2014 and we have something real to discuss.<\/p>\n

The internet makes finding people with shared interests even easier.\u00a0However, meeting in person works too. We have a built-in activity to do together. Certainly, it’s easier to get to know someone when there’s something to do beyond sitting across a table awkwardly sharing the details of our lives.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Specific, even odd hobbies, can help give people identity, without requiring charisma.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not suggesting loneliness is solved by getting a hobby, but pursuing something specific, slightly odd, and personally meaningful can help.<\/p>\n

Maybe part of the secret is that you don\u2019t have to be interesting. You just have to be interested.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.nola.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I think a lot about the loneliness epidemic and what we can do to help people who are lonely.\u00a0 I have an idea.\u00a0 It\u2019s not a grand solution. It\u2019s smaller than that \u2014 and maybe that\u2019s the point. Hold that thought.\u00a0 An unlikely source provided my favorite bit of writing advice\u00a0\u2014 it came from the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2272482,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2272481","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/A-modest-idea-to-combat-the-epidemic-of-loneliness.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2272481","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2272481"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2272481\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2272483,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2272481\/revisions\/2272483"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2272482"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2272481"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2272481"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2272481"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}