[A Sip of Books] The Era of Solo Society is Coming

Some sentences encapsulate the entire content of the book itself, while others instantly reach the reader's heart and create a connection with the book. Here, we introduce such meaningful sentences excerpted from the book. - Editor's note

This book is a dialogue between a leading expert on singlehood and a neuroscientist, revealing misunderstandings and truths about solo society and contemplating how to live in the upcoming solo era. The first half (Chapters 1-4) deals with the 'individual' topics of lifestyles, happiness, and solitude of singles and married people, while the latter half (Chapters 5-7) shifts focus from the individual to society as a whole, addressing social themes such as solos and groups, diversity, and individuality. The final chapter concludes with a topical subject on 'How to live in the COVID-19 era,' which can no longer be ignored.

Anyone who is single has probably heard the phrase, "If you don't marry, you'll die alone." I hope people will think carefully about the issue of solitary death. The majority of people who die alone were previously married. For example, those currently dying alone who are over 75 years old belong to what is called the "kaikon" era in Japan (meaning an era when almost everyone got married - translator's note). Nearly 100% of people married during that time. Therefore, most people dying alone now can be said to have been married in the past. - p.49

There seems to be a prevailing atmosphere in the UK that "everyone who is alone is lonely." However, there are people who are not lonely at all even when alone, yet it is assumed that being alone naturally means being lonely. This is, paradoxically, a very dangerous thought. It leads to the idea that "people who are noisy and chatty with everyone are not lonely." In fact, the greatest loneliness is feeling "very lonely" even when surrounded by many people. Isn't that the worst kind of loneliness? It's actually the most dangerous. Surprisingly, some people who were happily playing with friends until yesterday suddenly commit suicide. Being with others makes them feel their loneliness even more intensely. - pp.80-81

The claim that not marrying means no productivity is actually not true when looking at groups. There is research showing that groups with unmarried uncles or aunts have better outcomes for the next generation. This study was conducted in Canada and found that homosexual individuals who care for nieces and nephews, teach art or music, or provide financial support for medical care or education help their families and indirectly increase the possibility of genetic succession as "super uncles," thereby contributing to higher reproduction rates. - p.211

The Solo Society is Coming | Written by Kazuhisa Arakawa & Nobuko Nakano | Translated by Tae-seon Yoo | Book by Book | 356 pages | 16,200 KRW

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.