I am Lonely-1

I am Lonely-1

Everyone is lonely. This is the truth.

I don’t know of anyone who hasn’t felt lonely at some point of time in their life. Some may experience it longer and more frequently than others, but, regardless, it’s an emotion each one of us has felt. It is particularly important to understand the nature of loneliness because it triggers and magnifies another powerful emotion: sadness.

When you feel lonely, you feel sad. Everything appears meaningless then, everyone seems distant and life feels a drag. Loneliness is a discomforting emotion. If you observe others, or even your own life, you’ll discover that most of us are working incessantly to avoid feeling lonely. We are so used to having people around or living in groups that we have lost sight of our individual and independent nature of bliss.

From the moment we are born we are surrounded by people. Parents and siblings at home, teachers and students at school and so on. As we grow older, our relationships become more complex and diverse. At work, in the mall, in a shrine, we are always surrounded by people. Many come home and spend their evenings in front of a television. The more lonely you are, the more TV you’ll watch. The more lonely you feel, the greater will be your urge to shop. If you think my observation is far-fetched, then please take a moment to meditate on it and see the truth for yourself.

Loneliness is an inner void and most of us make the mistake to fill it with external experiences. We want to forget about our inner voice, our real self, so we may not feel lonely. To do that people engage in all sorts of activities — from spending time on social media to window shopping, to watching TV or even working long hours when not necessary. These activities tire you out, they make you forget about you. And, forgetting about yourself is the same as ignoring yourself.

When you learn to love and accept yourself, a sense of self-esteem and self-acceptance builds automatically. You start to get in touch with yourself, your talents, your capabilities. With that, you begin to get comfortable with yourself and as that happens, the fear of loneliness disappears like freshly minted dewdrops do upon sunrise.

Om Namah Shivay