[kgin]

For those reacting to the inclusion of "lonely" in the description: lonely isn't a dirty word. I worked at Meetup for over a decade and one thing I learned there was that loneliness is a normal experience when you start anything new in life.

You can be "lonely in a context" without being existentially lonely (though that's a very normal human experience also). Loneliness just means that at the present time, you don't know enough people who you can relate to in a certain context. You may have a million friends, but if you want to start a new career, you may be lonely in that context and feel the need to know more people in that industry. If you are newly diagnosed with a disease, you may be lonely in that context, not knowing anyone else who has been through the symptoms you're experiencing, even if you are surrounded by supportive family. And if you're a new dad or mom, you may have your spouse, you may have your kids, but you can absolutely feel the need to connect with other people who have experienced what you're experiencing.

Loneliness is just your emotions telling you that you could benefit from the presence of people who have travelled and are traveling the same road. It isn't a failing. It's fuel to reach out and connect.

[pbarondadditude]

Loneliness may not be a dirty word indeed, but there is a huge stigma associated with it for men, and the result is sobering: it's called the "silent killer of men": https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/fear-intimacy/202111... "Loneliness in men is correlated with cardiovascular disease and stroke; 80 percent of successful suicides are men, and one of the leading contributing factors is loneliness (Murphy, et al., 2017)."

[donw]

True!

The thing that myself and others found so disagreeable is that your copy sounded… maybe “whiny” is the right word?

It reminded me of the “buddy dad” that cares more about his kids thinking of him as a “best friend”, than being a father. Those are very different things.

Maybe your copy is right for your audience, depending on your goals, but it stuck a strong negative chord for me.

Email in profile, by the way. Happy to iterate and provide direct feedback, as fathers do need good resources.

[skeeter2020]

Those same studies about it then go on to find being in a relationship and having a family are some of the most effective ways to fight loneliness. SO it is kind of weird to include "lonely" in the call to action.

[conductr]

Very well said. I feel as you age and add parent to your CV, you experience all of these things at one point or another in a life well lived. It's all about how you tackle them and for many people building community around their item is a very healthy coping mechanism.