One of Ben Franklin’s 13 virtues to be happy is to do everything in moderation and avoid extremes. In this world of extreme demands upon our time, most of us cherish any alone time we can get to relax and to recharge.

On the other hand, people who, not by choice, are alone for long periods of time may suffer from loneliness, a condition that US News and World Report reported affects 72 percent of Americans at one time or another.

Chronic loneliness can lead to depression and even suicidal tendencies. The problem diagnosing this condition is that we often don’t know who is suffering in their world of one.

No one wants to announce to the world, “Hey. I’m lonely! Can someone help me?” It might be easier to proclaim you’re an alcoholic. Then there is a stigma attached to the lonely. You’ll hear people say, “What, you have no friends? Where’s your family?”

And if you admit to yourself you’re lonely, you could think there is something wrong with you. Maybe no one likes you so you’d better change who you are and what you’re doing.

Loneliness is often circumstantial. Widows and widowers become lonely, especially if their marriages had counted up to many good years. A young woman takes a job in a foreign country and misses her family and friends. Many servicemen and women are lonely despite being with their fellow soldiers every day. Divorces break up families, leaving one spouse having to adjust from living in a house full of life and activity to living alone in a rooms filled with silence.

Fortune magazine reports that despite the availability of social media, loneliness is on the rise and has become a modern-day epidemic. In fact, nearly 50 percent of our senior citizens are classified as lonely. Many live alone and are not apt to be followers of Facebook or Twitter.

Should we blame the lonely for their situation? Plenty of opportunities exist for social interaction. And yet, the common profile of lonely people describes them as shy, introverted and perhaps with poor self-esteem, not the type to walk into a room filled with people and start up a conversation.

The old expression, “the grass is greener on the other side” lures some people to throw away what they have for a chance at finding happiness.

But what if the other side is filled with brown patches of weeds? They might find themselves alone and lonely with no road to get back from where they had left.

“Too much self-centered attitude, you see, brings, you see, isolation. Result: loneliness, fear, anger. The extreme self-centered attitude is the source of suffering.” The Dalai Lama warns us that ego and selfishness may leave us alone and lonely.

At a young age, we covet popularity. We feel great when we are liked. Social media gives us 110 likes for what we post. Long before Facebook, cellphones and Twitter.

Albert Schweitzer wrote, ”We are all so much together, but we are all dying of loneliness.” Is it to far from the truth to say that thousands of lonely people are Facebook addicts?

You often can’t see loneliness in someone. He could be the guy in the corner of the room telling jokes to the sounds of laughter. She could be the girl in the middle of the dance floor who grabs everyone’s attention. He might be a Robin Williams type who pleases everyone but himself.

In an article titled “The Lethality of Loneliness” by Judith Shulevitz, she says that scientific research proves that lonely people are sick more and die at younger ages. She went as far as saying that cancer will kill a lonely person much faster than someone who is socially connected.

So is there a prevention plan?

Find purpose. Utilize talent. Serve others. You can live alone and be isolated, but as long as your soul holds on to people who care about you and you keep your mind active, you can feel connection even if 1,000 miles may separate you from others.

Little acts of kindness can have big effects. Say hello to a stranger in the grocery store. Offer to help at the food pantry by the church. Volunteer to read stories to a kindergarten class. Go out and sit by the lake at sunset and strike up a conversation with someone else who is there for the same reason. Take action to fight off loneliness. If physical impairments prevent mobility, then make connections on the phone, especially with others you know, who may also be alone.

Be social. Make friends. American Baptist minister Joseph Fort Newton once wrote, “People are lonely because they build walls instead of bridges.”

Circumstantial or self-inflicted, we all know someone who may be lonely. The 1987 telephone advertisement is still relevant today, so let’s all “reach out and touch someone.”

Rich Strack can be reached at katehep11@gmail.com.