We live in anxious times. In Steven Pinker's 2011 book The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined, the Harvard University psychologist argues humans are now living in the most peaceful era in the history of our species. Still, we are anxious. And it's hard not to be. In February, it was the Parkland shooting. In April, the IHOP shooting and the harrowing Southwest airliner that broke apart as it was bound for Dallas. Last week, our neighbors in Santa Fe, T

Once a week, at a local retirement community, I run a support group for eighty and ninety year olds. I was asked to do it because of the inevitable loss and loneliness that happens when a person lives almost a century. Many of these people struggle with health conditions and have lost husbands, wives, children, but what strikes me, despite their loss, is their commitment to not being lonely. This generation recognizes how crucial social connection is and will attend every