Kurt Vonnegut, the novelist and satirist behind “Slaughterhouse-Five” and “Cat’s Cradle,” reflected on the need for community in his 1974 commencement address at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in New York. A survivor of war and a lifelong critic of social alienation, Vonnegut saw modern life as too often isolating. For him, creating sustainable connections was a radical, vital antidote to despair and loneliness. His words feel especially urgent in an increasingly digital world, challenging us to invest in real-life relationships and to recognize that belonging is a fundamental human need.