How often do you feel lonely? It’s the feeling you get when you miss a person for any reason. We think everyone needs to feel lonely when they are alone. Now, the feeling of loneliness is very real. I’m not going to argue with that—I’ll leave that up to the psychiatrists of the world. This article is not for people who take things literally. If you have an open mind, feel free to read on.
The truth is that loneliness is completely unnecessary. That’s why I say loneliness is not real. It’s a story that’s created by mankind. Here are some of those lies:
- Everyone needs 500 friends
- Being single is for losers
- Divorce means you failed
- Being alone is for the crazies
The problem with loneliness is when we start believing in it. In that case, loneliness deteriorates your mental well-being. The truth is that you’re never lonely. You always have company: Yourself. So you can be alone without being lonely. I like how Anthony de Mello, author of Awareness, puts it:
