The Modern Loneliness Crisis

What’s poppin’, people? It’s Dante.

About to walk along the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. Gonna take you along with me on this chaotic journey.

There’s so much energy with the cars, but when you look up at the clouds, you find solace and peace.

Check it out.

Such a beautiful view.

Why I Visit Elevated Places

One of the things that I do to elevate my mood is visit an elevated surface.

I think there’s something empowering about returning to a place that allows you to look out beyond the horizon—to get a bird’s-eye perspective where you have a panopticon view of your surroundings.

You feel powerful.

And so, when in doubt, I visit the Benjamin Franklin Bridge.

Living in a Modern City

Today I just wanted to talk about solitude and what it’s like living in a modern city.

We have so many cars crossing this bridge. There are so many people in the city. We’re more connected than ever through technology.

But there’s something I believe is haunting this generation:

Solitude.

How do you deal with the inevitability of lacking community in modernity?

Where do you go?

How do you thrive on your own?

I think it’s something that’s important to consider.

Creating Your Own World

I’ve been in solitude for a very long time.

Really since around the COVID years—2020, 2021.

It’s been a period of perpetual solitude.

I’ve adapted by creating my own world.

By looking up at the clouds and finding wonder.

By surrounding myself with beauty.

By empowering myself physically through weightlifting.

By going to church.

By connecting with God.

By producing photographs.

By going out by myself and fueling my life with purpose through creation.

I think I can thrive in any situation because I’ve learned to create my own world.

Giving Yourself a Voice

I’ve spent a lot of time alone.

Traveling.

Walking around my hometown.

Living in my city.

It’s difficult when you lack community.

It can become something that leads to a depressed state where you feel sad.

I’m not saying I’m depressed right now.

But I think it’s understandable to want to feel heard.

To want to feel connected.

I find that by giving myself a voice—through sharing my thoughts on YouTube or building my own website—the act of making something becomes incredibly empowering.

The simple fact that anybody across the world can instantly access something you’ve created gives you a voice.

It gives you a feeling of being empowered.

Not power in the sense of conquering or dominating others.

But empowerment through being heard.

Through being witnessed.

Why I Started Flux Witness

One of the things I enjoy doing on this YouTube channel is witnessing other people’s art.

That’s why I started the Flux Witness Sessions.

Every week I spend a few minutes looking at somebody’s body of work.

It’s simply a way to acknowledge someone.

To give somebody ten minutes of my time.

Sometimes that’s enough.

Alone Together

Here we have somebody playing chess alone in their house.

Look at that.

We’re in solitude all the time.

Playing games on our phones.

Walking around talking to ourselves through these little black boxes.

But when you look up at the sky…

…and then you look down at all this traffic…

Despite being alone—

I feel connected.

Connected through the way I engage with the day.

Connected through creating.

Being a bystander while also being an active participant in life.

Photography Keeps Me Grounded

Photography is what keeps me engaged with reality.

It’s what keeps me connected to society.

Honestly, I fear that without photography I’d probably become a monk in the woods.

I’d disappear.

I’d sequester myself away from society.

In many ways, I feel peaceful alone.

I feel powerful alone.

But I don’t think it’s natural.

I think it’s more natural for humans to live among humanity.

To be surrounded by society.

The Digital World Isn’t Enough

It’s unfortunate how modern society is structured.

Telecommunications.

Remote jobs.

Communities formed entirely on social media.

More and more interactions happen digitally instead of face-to-face.

We lose something.

We lose that emotional connection that comes from speaking with another human being in physical proximity.

I think that’s what leads to conflict.

Division between men and women.

Political ideologies.

Different identities.

People seem more extreme now.

I think it’s because of the way we consume information.

We spend so much time indoors.

Sequestered.

Allowing algorithms to feed us endlessly.

Go Outside

I think the antidote is simple.

Go outside.

Seek wisdom through life experience under the sun.

If you ever feel like you don’t know where to go…

If you ever feel alone…

Find yourself in an elevated place.

Touch the sunlight.

Look up at the clouds.

Look toward the horizon.

Recognize the infinite connectivity of everything—and the infinite possibilities that still exist in life.