Manifestly, something happens to the reasoning processes of a person who is isolated by choice or by force of circumstances. What often occurs is that, contrary to the counsel given in the Bible, he thinks too much about himself, even giving in to self-pity. He becomes critical of the omissions of others and overemphasizes their failures toward him, sometimes attributing bad motives. He waits for others to be friendly and feels they have failed him if they are not. An example is a young married woman with two children. For a period of time this mother kept herself from the company of persons whom she knew well. When a friend mentioned not seeing her recently, she responded: “I did it to see if anyone noticed or cared.”

So there are clear indications that a failure among people in general to form solid human relationships can endanger a person’s health. But what does a person do if the circumstances are seemingly beyond his control? How can he adjust to unwanted changes in his life?

Since it is not easy to overcome loneliness, we do well to avoid becoming a victim of this malady. Hence, even though others may disappoint us, we need to guard against drawing away from people. The Bible says: “No one of us lives . . . for himself alone.” (Rom. 14:7, The New English Bible) Once a person isolates himself, he is in danger of thinking unwisely, even foolishly, to his injury. A Bible proverb expresses it in this way: “One isolating himself will seek his own selfish longing; against all practical wisdom he will break forth.”​—Prov. 18:1.

Take the case of a young wife who became addicted to watching late-night pornographic movies on television. Subjected to this unwholesome influence, she soon stopped praying, reading the Scriptures and attending Christian meetings. Soon she felt that her husband was inadequate and began pitying herself. She embarked on a course that months before she would have quickly rejected as foolishness. Drawn out by her wrong desires, she abandoned her husband and small daughter to take up life with another man. Did she really find happiness? No. She later admitted to a friend that her new male associate had been beating her and that she was miserable without her child. This woman had hurt herself, her husband, her child and her fellow Christians and had brought great reproach on the Creator​—all of this because of isolating herself.

Isolation Is Unchristian

Isolation really is unchristian. It is divisive, puts a damper on zealous Christian works and limits communication. Cut off from others, the individual may become depressed and give in to doubts respecting trustworthy humans, even about God and the Scriptures. The disciple Jude shows that some in his day failed to appreciate that even angels hurt themselves when they abandoned association with God and faithful angels to indulge their wrong desires.​—Jude 6, 8, 10, 20-22.