DEFINING LONELINESS

Loneliness is not synonymous with being alone, because we could be alone and feel lonely. We could be with people and still feel lonely. Being with certain people or at certain places is not the remedy for loneliness. Married people often talk of feeling lonely, and bars and pubs are probably the loneliest places in the world. We are born alone and die alone; therefore there is always a part of us, that remains untouched by the other. Loneliness can be translated as alienation that occurs when we lose significant contact with our world and with the purposeful living of life. When one feels insignificant, one could feel lonely. As human beings we need purpose and meaning in our lives that makes sense out of our day-to-day existence; that our being alive makes a difference; that we are significant, meaningful and loving relationships which enrich and sustain us, where we experience the reciprocity of ‘true’ love.