We know how to be productive. We have forgotten how to be relational. Oneliness is the way back and forward.

Monika Jiang is a writer and social critic. Her work asks what becomes possible when we stop treating loneliness as a problem to solve—and start building from it instead.

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The Idea

We have turned loneliness into a pathology. And a pathology needs a cure—which means it needs a market.

Dating apps, AI companions, wellness retreats, productivity tools reframed as purpose, community platforms sold as belonging. The loneliness economy is built entirely on the premise that loneliness is a condition to be eliminated rather than a signal to be understood. The more we treat it that way, the more we fund and entrench the structures that produce it. Solutionism is not solving the problem. It is the problem.

Loneliness is a signal, asking us to look more deeply: at how we work and why, how cities are built and for whom, what we have reduced love to, what we have stopped asking of each other, what we have handed to technology because it was easier than staying present.

Oneliness does not offer a cure. It offers a framework for taking the signal seriously, and asking what becomes possible when we organize life around what loneliness is pointing toward, rather than around its elimination.

  • Podcast

    Conversations that explore loneliness as personal and structural, social and political, mundane and spiritual—and uncover how we reconnect with ourselves, each other, and the world.

    Listen

  • Community

    Designed as spaces for practice, reflection, and learning where individuals explore dialogue, listening, and community care, and experiment with new ways of showing up with themselves and others.

    Upcoming

  • Collaborations

    From tailored keynotes and facilitating workshops to shaping content strategy and curating experiences on how teams, organizations, and communities can reimagine relationships, care, and impact.

    Discover

  • Mentorship

    One-on-one guidance for facilitators, community organizers, creatives, and speakers — helping them connect authentically, cultivate presence, and amplify impact in their work and communities.

    Connect

  • I love reading your newsletters — they always feel like a conversation with a friend who truly gets it. Your words have helped me see loneliness not just as an absence, but as a way to deeper relationships.”

    — Jenna S.

  • “Mapping out my circle of friends has helped me to visualize and sense the people I want to prioritize, and the ones I may need to let go of. Loved the exercises, and will try to revise it each season!”

    David L.

  • “I have an increased body awareness, the difficult emotions don't get stuck that much due to tuning into it again during the practice and relaxing the body with the moment of gratitude. I feel like I don't get so reactive anymore, or I notice faster if I do and get myself out of it faster.”

    Susan K.

  • “Grateful I've been able to experience one of your powerful workshops, unforgettable.”

    Stephanie W.

  • "It became a ritual to spend an hour together in this group-led space, reflecting thoughtfully, and connecting deeper than your usual Zoom call."

    — Long V.

  • “This is probably the best and most sincere talk that I have watched. Hugely valuable and worth sharing an outlook on life to counter balance the prevailing stream of selfishness and greed.”

    David C.

“We are all the leaves of one tree. We are all the waves of one sea.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

Get in touch with me!

With a request, a message, or a wish—I’d be happy to hear from you.