The Fallacy of One

Are you lonely? Is it because you're alone? No, it's not. Not to sound critical, but no one is lonely because he or she is alone.

How is this possible? Easy: you're never alone. In today's modern society, to be by yourself is rare, if not impossible. Go ahead, try it sometime. Try and make yourself completely alone; put yourself in a position where there is absolutely zero evidence of any other human beings. Your apartment isn't good enough. Surely you have neighbors, and even if you you have super thick concrete walls that could block out an orgy with howitzers (you gotta love that Luftwaffe foreplay), there is traffic outside, plus any ambient lighting that may leak in through the window.

"Ok then," you say to yourself, "I'll go somewhere that is completely untouched by human civilization." That's fine, but are you willing to purchase a plane ticket, fly to Canada, and hike all the way to the middle of the virgin Yukon tundra just to prove little ol' me wrong? If so, I applaud your conviction, but seriously, you may want to stop and reevaluate your life. My point here is that Man is a social creature, and we have done a pretty damn good job at making sure that we are never too far away from another human being.

So why even bother with getting lonely? Surely the only people who are truly worthy and able to be lonely are hermits who live in tiny shacks off in the untamed wilderness somewhere, but then again, they like the solitude. They don't need anybody, especially those pesky ATF agents who like to pay them visits. When we get lonely, we often make the mistake that there is no one around. As I just proved with my flawless logic, that is simply not the case. What is actually happening is that we instead are just not around the right people, or even just a single person. That feeling is then generalized into the assumption that humanity has abandoned us. I think that's pretty cool. That may sound cynical, but the fact that only one or two people can make you feel like a caribou farmer is pretty amazing.

So who is this amazing person who can so influence our perceived place in society? It could be anyone, really; a family member, a friend (miss you, toots), that new boy or girl who said that your eyes were beautiful, somebody who you've never even met, anyone in whom you make some kind of emotional investment. You can mix and match however you want, people are affected by one another in entirely unique ways. So what then is the solution to this malady of the spirit? I don't have an answer for you there. As much as I'd like to be a limitless font of wisdom and knowledge, I'm subject to the same mortal trappings as y'all. Actually, I've probably racked up enough frequent flyer miles on Lonely Airways to fly to the Crab Nebula and back. I know why though, and maybe the very act of recognizing it makes it easier to understand. Do I want to help others cope with it too? Not really, even if I am kinda doing it by accident. After all, misery loves company, so if everyone is miserable, then no one will be lonely. Now THAT'S cynical!