DAILY SLICES OF LIFE - Living in Loneliness

“Life is an island in an ocean of loneliness.”

This very insightful observation was recorded by the very well respected and gifted Lebanese-American philosopher, poet, author and artist, Khalil Gibran, in his brilliantly written book on life which he titled: ‘A Second Treasury.” He viewed each person as being an individual island floating in the sea of life, with each one trying to navigate his way through an ocean of lonely experiences, and most of the time having difficulty in finding a way out.

         Loneliness is a universal human experience. No one can ever claim to be immune from experiencing episodes of loneliness, and few, if any, of us will have any difficulty in readily identifying some of the instances that have left indelible scars on our psyche. It exists all around us; we feel it within ourselves as a sense of isolation with an underlying aura of hopelessness and helplessness that often induces fear and inadequacy; at times causing a mixture of emotional and physiological disturbances. We see it in our friends and in our family, among our neighbors and in strangers, and we read about it in our books and newspapers. When left unresolved, loneliness can induce social isolation, cause disturbances in thoughts and actions, and result in serious interference in the quality of life.

         It has no single cause, and it does not respect any particular age, sex, intellectual ability or socioeconomic status. Its origins are often complex in nature and not readily identifiable, but it has a strong correlation to a person‘s underlying personality and psychological characteristics, as well as his developmental influences. Its symptom presentation is quite unique to each individual and requires equally individual attention to be corrected. The recent increasing incidences of social isolation so common among the older generations, have produced catastrophic consequences, which continue to explode as the population continues to grow older and more fragile, and longstanding relationships disintegrate. 

         Recognizing loneliness and its many sequelae is not usually a difficult undertaking, but to successfully correct it in ourselves or in others, can often be a formidable task. It requires not only securing the necessary insight needed for oneself, but also an understanding of the stresses caused by the external milieu and finding appropriate ways to neutralize them. This has led Dr. Albert Schweitzer, the renowned French-German theologian, author, philosopher and physician, a recognized polymath and a Nobel Laureate, and founder of a hospital in Africa, to very wisely conclude:

“We are all so much together,

but we are all dying of loneliness”

-By any measure one may choose, loneliness is the single, most destructive force to humanity!

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