On June 9th, as part of the City of Chestermere’s Senior’s Week, the city screened “The Great Disconnect.” This film, by Tamer Soliman, takes viewers on a journey into those aspects of modern society that have separated us and left us isolated. This film came out in 2018 before the pandemic, but has gained renewed interest because it has brought into sharp focus our deep need for human connection, community, and care.
I was invited to be one of several panelists who were asked to offer their thoughts on the film and respond to questions. Besides the film-maker, there were other experts in urban planning, loneliness, health, and community development who spoke to aspects of the film that ring true for us today. Together we nodded in agreement as we realized that no matter our field of expertise, one thing has become clear: we are a society now doubly isolated. First by advances in technology and affluence that seem to have separated us to the point that we can live functionally independent of others, and secondly by a pandemic that froze what few connections we did have. It was sobering.
The film, which was created by drawing on lessons learned in communities across Canada, and as far away as Jamaica, offers a sharp critique of our isolated and fractured relationships. But the film is anything but doom and gloom. From there the film turns towards those who have found a way to foster communities of connection in places like condo complexes and those neighbourhoods that had been damaged by gangs and crime. Through these stories we meet the “Gangster Gardener,” a man who believes that it is hard to hate a place you helped to grow. We also meet a woman who knows no one in her neighbourhood and tries her hand at starting neighbourhood parties. In each story we see ourselves, and the potential we have to create community again.
In the end, the film is a hopeful look at how we can find a way out of isolation and into thriving communities that give us purpose, hope, health, and joy right where we are.
The timing of this film for our city, including our seniors, is well placed. We need to have these conversations. Even now we have to look for ways to reach out to each other again; to teens, families, children, people who are new to Canada, and those who do not speak your language, or come from a different background. A neighbourhood is not healthy so long as neighbours who wish to make connections still feel alone and lonely.
This week take a moment to hunt down the film, “The Great Disconnect” and make room to watch it with others close to you. Together we can have more than a conversation about isolation, we can make a way for community to thrive again. The pandemic has hidden many of us away, but together we can draw each other out and into connection again.
