How to cure loneliness

Iwas reminded of the famous poem by James Casey: “Water, water, every where, Nor any drop to drink”, when I came across the statement of former US Surgeon Gen. Vivek Murthy, “Loneliness is incredibly common, and that it’s not older folks who are suffering most, it is actually young people who are grappling with the highest rates of loneliness — despite being more digitally connected than ever before.”

It is an irony that in this overpopulated world people feel they have no connection with anybody. Experts say that the effect of feeling lonely is as devastating as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Loneliness is so pervasive in today’s world that doctors call it the “loneliness epidemic”. This feeling comes out of the fundamental need of humans to connect; whether it is with humans, animals, things or thoughts, but they have to connect. This unfulfilled need then creates many disorders like depression, social anxiety, addiction and hoarding. These demons thrive on loneliness.

But be realistic, ask the pertinent question: Is loneliness real or is it a misunderstanding of your situation? If you ask Osho he will say: “Loneliness is a misunderstood aloneness. Everybody is running away from loneliness. To escape from it, the only way is to be in a crowd, to become part of a society, to have friends, to create a family, to have husbands and wives, to have children.” If you want to transform your loneliness into aloneness the essential tool is, meditation. Loneliness looms large because you are constantly looking at others, your expectations, demands are from the outside and you completely forget yourself. Others are not born to fill in the vacuum inside your heart. In yoga, it is called Pratyahara, which means bringing the senses in.

Aloneness is our very nature, but we are not aware of it. Instead of seeing our aloneness as a treme-ndous beauty and bliss, silence and pe-ace, ateasiness with existence, we misunderstand it as loneliness. Let this blissfulness become an epidemic.