We are supposed to be social animals -connection is one of our most fundamental needs. People who feel connected live longer, yet real connection, whether to a person or to something larger than ourselves, requires a kind of exposure. You have to admit you need something. And that admission is frightening in a world that often rewards self-sufficiency and control. Loneliness spreading like a virus despite all our connectivity tools suggests the problem was never about access to other people. It's about the courage to actually reach. How come it is so hard to tell even our loved ones what they mean to us?