Death in loneliness in the silence of the summer

News analysis.- A local media announced on november 6th the discovery of a woman died six months ago in her flat at Saint-Georges street, in the down town of Angers. Any neighbour noticed the disappearance of the person, 66 years old. The syndic, who manage the building, intrigued by the silence of the inhabitant warned the authorities. So a distress has probably been discovered on the occasion of a professional (it means unpersonal) issue.

This tragic news item illustrates, once again, the loneliness of many persons. If, this phenomena becomes common in our society, the men as well as the women, the poor household is concerned as well as the wealthy, and the young as well as the elder, it is nevertheless more acute for the last category as the surge of death among seniors in France showed it during the scorching summer of 2003 (the death of that inhabitant of Angers occured precisely in july when many persons are gone for holidays).

But this sad news illustrates the gap between the "solidarity" the "modern" society promotes (or tries to convince itself of being like that) and its actual behaviour. We are able to communicate with many people at the same time, wherever they are, but we don't pay attention to what is next to us. The world of communications acting like a screen between us and the others.