In spite of the poor economy, the telecom companies are doing great. People are paying tons of money to stay connected with their computers, cell phones, iPhones, Blackberrys and the like. New industries are springing up to meet this ever-growing demand to stay connected. We have zillions of social and professional networking websites. Some of the more popular ones are Facebook, Twitter, Plaxo and LinkedIn.

You would think that with the depressed economy, people would be cutting back on this discretionary expense item. Yet we see countless people walking, driving or doing their chores with their cell phones glued to their ears or texting. What is “out there” that is so important that people cannot focus on the immediacy of their tasks at hand? Why are they trying so hard to stay connected that they are willing to risk financial loss, pain, injury and death to stay connected?

When you think about it, cell phones and Internet services are not cheap, no matter what the telecom companies say. It costs close to $100 per month for cell phone and Internet services. Many people pay more for the “deluxe” plans. Most people don’t notice the charges because they are bundled in with other things because they (”the telecoms”) are giving you a “good” deal, or so they say. But would you pay the same amount of money for a land line as you do for cell phone services? Probably not because the perceived value is not there. That’s why telecom companies are charging people through the nose for these new services - because they can and the demand is there. Did you know consumers in the United States pay the world’s highest prices for these services?

What is so important “out there” that requires people to want to be in constant contact with each other 24 x 7? Is there that much to say that they have to do it immediately on the phone or through the Internet? Why are people talking on the cell phone or instant messaging when they are driving, shopping, walking, having lunch with their other friends or doing some other activity?

One explanation is that people are feeling more disconnected and isolated. As the economy continues to falter and their lives become more uncertain, people are feeling all alone, even when they are around other people. They are desperately trying to stay connected some how and some way to some one or some thing out there. They are using their cell phones and Internet connections as a “security blanket” to compensate for their sense of isolation, to no avail.

The isolation that they feel is not “out there” but within themselves. The solution to their need to stay connected is not with people, places and things out there, but to reconnect with their inner self. And in the end, that is all that matters.