I read the news story about the young Japanese man who just recently plowed a vechicle into a crowd and began stabbing everyone that went down. 7 killed; 10 wounded. One criminologist offered that Japan's growing isolationism in its society may have been a factor.

They say friends are therapy for poor people.

But in our fast-growing world of walls, fences, concrete, and mobility away from family roots, I believe this is an international epidemic. I listened as a Pakistani father bemoaned his children's jet-setting generation, that tend to move away to other countries for school and settle down far from home.

It has been a real blessing to me to have roommates (housemates) that are almost like family. I have lived with and without housemates, and I know it can get very lonely and depressing when there is no one else around.

Perhaps overpopulation along with transportation advances is luring people away from close human ties. Perhaps the 'abandoned generation,' children raised in dual-income homes has lead to a sort of perverse comfort with loneliness. And those acting out in Japan are not unlike the child killers we have here.

In your fast-paced life, never forget to keep connections with those you love, and reach out to others. Everyone needs support now and then…and nobody goes through this life alone successfully.