It may have been a poetic way to describe the feeling some people have that while we are alive, we are not doing the things that make a life, so to speak.
I don't know how to put it succinctly, but a single comment on HN months ago described the feeling. Is it true? I don't know, I don't have "myself but living as a thousand years ago" to compare. We do know that people's social circles, e.g. the number of close friends people describe themselves as having, has been shrinking.
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20470085
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The Screen and the Job have displaced almost everything else is our lives. Loneliness is just a primary symptom.
The Screen, whether it’s TV, computer, or phone, has supplanted almost all social interactions. This manifests itself in things like SitComs on TV (just a bunch of friends or family hanging out) or Social Media on phones. It’s very easy to fill the social needs of right now with a Screen. But under even a minuscule amount of self reflection these are revealed as hollow substitutes for real human interaction.
The Job has completely taken over as a driving force in evaluating choices. The average person has to consider all options in the light of both the current employer and the specter of tomorrow’s. Moving across the country for a high paying job? Great! Moving to be closer to friends? That’s a career killer.
No wonder we are lonely. We make choices in the short term that optimize happiness, often at the expense of our relationships. Ghosting is not just for dates now. Then turn around and make choices in the long term that optimize employability at the expense of all else.
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