Roy Lloyd: You Can't Go It Alone In New York

"You can't go it alone in New York." 

That remark, made years ago by Dr. Bryant Kirkland, then pastor of Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, remains relevant today.  In this enormous city many of us can feel lonely and anonymous. 

Some like it that nobody recognizes you, but there's a price to pay for this seclusion.  It can lead us to wonder whether anyone really cares about us or knows us. 

Loneliness affects so many millions across the country who feel isolated and unhappy and have difficulty coping with life. And here in the Big Apple, surrounded by New Yorkers, we can feel unwhole, companionless and unconnected. 

That's why we do need each other, now more than ever.  Congregations of people of faith provide helpful connections and a supportive environment. Gathering with others in a house of worship allows us to share our struggles and joys, and it offers opportunities to give assistance to someone else as well as receive it. 

It is uplifting and lifegiving when we care for each other.  While we can't go it alone, we can go it together. 

This is Roy Lloyd.

[Originally presented as a commentary on 1010 WINS Newsradio New York.]