Isolation – It’s Never Been God’s Plan

The quote you see above is an old proverb whose exact origin is unknown. I’ve heard it all my life, but every time I hear it, I think about “The Shining,” the 1980 film starring Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrence and Shelley Duvall as Torrence’s wife, Wendy. I’m typically not one for horror movies, but this is one that makes it onto my all-time favorite list of flicks.

Torrence is a recovering alcoholic and aspiring writer who takes a job as the off-season caretaker of the majestic and isolated Overlook Hotel located in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. The solitude of the remote location offers Jack an opportunity to get away from the temptation of alcohol, while providing the perfect conditions for writing. He slaves away at his typewriter day after day. One day Wendy comes into the room where Jack’s been working. While he’s away from his desk, she looks at the paper still in the typewriter, discovering the words “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” written over and over, filling the entire page. She looks in horror at a two-inch stack of completed manuscript only to find the same sentence filling up every sheet of every page in the stack. And in my favorite scene in the movie, Jack comes up behind Wendy, startling her, and asks, “How do you like it?” Yikes! (Here’s a 2 minute clip of the scene)

Jack Torrence was suffering with an extreme case of cabin fever, the irritability or restlessness that comes from being confined or isolated for extended periods of time. It’s not an official disease, but the symptoms have official names; suicide, depression, and poor immune health, just to name a few. I got snowed in this past January in the Mountains of North Carolina. The scenery was beautiful from our window, but after two days of not being able to get out of our driveway, I was just dying to get out and go somewhere. I officially had the unofficial disease called cabin fever. No doubt many, if not most of us, are currently experiencing mild to severe cases of cabin fever as we’re now in month 13 of the COVID new world order.

Isolation is dangerous.

In a podcast, Professor Ian Hickie, Co-Director of Health and Policy at The University of Sydney’s Brain and Mind Centre, talks about the mental health curve that needs to be flattened. COVID has brought on side effects such as increased suicide rates, social dislocation, domestic violence and other anti-social behavior. It truly is strange and unprecedented how much of our social interaction has moved to a virtual, online world. Zoom was a pronoun 13 months ago; now it’s a verb. Dr. Hickie states, “Studies have shown that isolation, as well as the feelings of isolation, can increase the risk of pre-mature death by 26%,” primarily due to the three issues previously mentioned; suicide, depression, and poor immune health.”

Science tells us that too much isolation is bad for us. So does the Bible.

Dr. Hickie says science tells us we must have interaction with each other to survive and thrive. He claims, “Cutting off from the external world in any way reduces brain function on an ongoing basis. Our physical health and mental health depend on our social environment.” When we deprive ourselves of social interaction the synaptic connections shrink during these periods. Isolation prevents our brain from being nurtured, which means our central nervous system experiences sensory deprivation. When this happens, Dr. Hickie says, “The brain does its own business. It continues to be active, so it starts creating phenomenon in the absence of external cues. You could hallucinate, see or hear things that don’t exist.” We need facial interaction, touching, and hugging, all of which influence our thinking and our state of well-being.

The Bible tells us that living in community, not isolation, has always been God’s plan. In the second chapter of the Bible God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him (Gen 2:18).” King Solomon wrote, “Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgement (Pr 18:1).” The ultimate demonstration of our need for relationships is manifested in Jesus Christ, God in human flesh walking around talking, laughing, smiling, hugging, crying. Jesus encouraged us to gather together, saying, “When two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I’ll be there (Mt 18:20).” Paul underscores the fact that we were made for community by reminding us that we are not the Body of Christ all by ourselves, rather we are parts of the body that makes up the whole Body of Christ, each playing a critical part (Rm 12:4-8; 1 Cor 12:12-30). The writer of Hebrews challenges us to fulfill our created functions by seeing “how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching (Heb 10:25).”

Too much isolation not only makes us dull boys and girls, it can make us very sick. We need in-person experiences with smiles, frowns, laughter, tears, handshakes, and hugs for the sake of our mental well-being. COVID has made us realize how badly we need these things. There is a cure for isolation and cabin fever; It’s called God’s people. As we begin to emerge from our cabins, will you vow to be more engaged and more involved in the community known as the Body of Christ? The Body is counting on you and I to serve our brothers and sisters in need and to lean on our brothers and sisters when we’re in need. Community, not isolation, is God’s plan. Let’s fill the role to which God has called us.

Play to win this week in the game that really counts!