About Loneliness

Loneliness afflicts many people. It has never been a serious consideration for me. It has invaded my life for a few short intervals without any major harm.

I was born in a quiet rural setting without any crowds around. My mother, father, older brother and sister, and nature, were my companions. They were always there, except my father who went away during week days to work on some federal projects of the FDR administration under the Works Projects Administration (WPA) of the late 1930s.

I learned to be alone. I learned self reliance. I learned to live with boredom, which incidentally, I now prefer boredom over excitement. (It was not always so.) As a teenager I used to go "Still Hunting" in the woods by myself. I would find a comfortable spot and sit perfectly still, alone with nature. I had excellent vision and hearing. All of nature was my companion. I could hear birds singing. It was so quiet I could almost hear the sound from the moving wings of a butterfly. I was too young and naive to realize my abundance. I was a slave to my desires for excitement and glory. Years later I would be suffocating from the noise of an urban society and I would realize what I had as a child.

When Barbara moved out I would come home from a trip to an empty condo and there would be a momentary sigh of loneliness, but it would go away. My thoughts always invaded my loneliness. Now my condo has become my Hobbit hole.

I have a dog that prevents me from being lonely. The dog makes me think of something besides me.

Emails and group discussions keep me connected to others. This method of socializing helps eliminate any faux paus by me. Conflicts can also be reduced because you always have an escape.

Living alone can expose one to fear. We like to have support groups for our self interest and protection. The government has become the support for many people living alone. Many 911 calls are from old people and kids who are alone.

Young people have a natural urge to mate, therefore loneliness affects young people more. Old people may get lonely and depressed, but they know their life is behind them and have only a short time before the pain of loneliness ends.

Living alone I am always the alpha leader of my domain, like Robinson Crusoe was on his island. Of course no one will choose the isolation Crusoe had. I have interaction with others. Still there is no one to challenge me. I am independent and seldom have to negotiate with anyone. I have a life mosly free of conflict and hostility.

Bilbo Baggins