Even when surrounded by people every human being feels alone at some point.
Though we may claim certain people as our own, there are moments in life when it seems like no one is truly there for us and we feel utterly isolated.
There is no one who hasn’t experienced loneliness. But what matters more is how we perceive loneliness.
For writers and artists, loneliness often becomes a source of creative power.
Great works are rarely born in noisy crowds – they take shape in the silence of solitude.
Take Valmiki, the ancient poet. It was from his silence, his introspection, that Ramayana emerged.
Consider Anton Chekhov’s short story ‘The Bet’. It tells of a banker and a young lawyer who enter into a wager: If the lawyer could spend fifteen years in complete isolation, he would receive a large sum of money. Whether it was greed or youthful foolishness, the lawyer accepts.
At first the solitude was unbearable. He even experienced deep depression.
But over time he became immersed in reading, and that reading transformed him.
By the end of the fifteen years, he renounced the prize money and walked away – a changed man.
During the communist regime in Vietnam, Cardinal Thuan was sentenced to solitary confinement. But he faced that loneliness through writing. It was during his imprisonment that he penned the well-known spiritual work The Road of Hope.
Beloved Malayalam writer Vaikom Muhammad Basheer also reflected on his own solitary prison days in his book Mathilukal.
Like all these individuals, they either chose or were forced to embrace loneliness. But this strength is not found in everyone. For most people, loneliness is unbearable. They cannot love it. They cannot cope with it. It begins to eat away at them. They slowly melt in the heat of that emptiness, drowning in depression. The sick, the elderly, and the retired are especially vulnerable. Yesterday they led normal social lives. Suddenly, everything is lost. For the sick, the world shrinks to a hospital bed.
For the elderly, affection and attention decline. For the retired, respect and purpose vanish.
All of this intensifies their loneliness.
There are even stories of people with wealth, fame and fans who have succumbed to deep loneliness, sometimes leading to suicide.
The COVID-19 pandemic was a global period of loneliness. The world felt like a locked room.
What was familiar became alien. Many are still healing from those emotional wounds.
The grief of losing loved ones push-ed many into overwhelming loneliness.
That is why it is important to consider: What kind of loneliness are you experiencing? And equally important: Are we aware of the loneliness experienced by those around us?
It is our responsibility to recognize it – to reach out, to extend friendship and to help rebuild their social connection.
The Wounds of Loneliness
Loneliness is said to cause mental and physical health problems comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. This is how serious the health risks are.
The World Health Organization has declared loneliness a global health concern.
Research shows that memory loss, heart disease, and dementia are more common among lonely people. Loneliness negatively impacts both mental and physical health.
How to Overcome Loneliness
Don’t keep your home shut all the time – stay connected to the outside world. Engage in social spaces wherever possible. Join clubs or charitable activities. Don’t overindulge in social media -use time online wisely. Turn toward spiritual practices for inner peace.
