“The Worst Loneliness Is Not To Be Comfortable With Yourself” Mark Twain
Let’s be honest today and reflect on the question of loneliness in our lives, whether we are the life and soul of the party, or quiet bystanders, because the reality is that loneliness affects us all.
A key question for me is why there is such stigma attached to loneliness. Why are we ashamed to admit that we are lonely from time to time? Is loneliness not simply part of the human condition?
According to a recent survey, over 25 million people in the U.K. reported that they are often lonely. In the U.S., loneliness affects one in three Americans and has become a public health emergency. The campaigns, commissions and advocacy groups that address loneliness are many and varied.
Loneliness is a very deep need we all have and that is the need to be known by another; we need people who will listen to us, care for us, understand and love us at our deepest core. Simply being popular or surrounded by people does not meet this need, because the ”popular“ person may not truly reveal what is inside to anyone.
But perhaps, loneliness is not about being alone, but is much more about being fully awake to ourselves and others.
Loneliness is a call to be our true selves; it is a call to be more present, to reach out more, to not always wait for an invitation, but to be the one that invites and is inclusive.
Of course, the real answer to loneliness is the intimate presence of God in our lives; that Presence brings peace, joy, love, intimacy, integrity……….And as we deepen our awareness of that Presence, we will grow into the people we are really called to be – our true selves.
B.O’S OSU