Loneliness is a Great Teacher

Being alone is not the same as feeling lonely. But one could slip effortlessly into the other without a moments notice. Perhaps this is why people obsess about ensuring they always have plans and always have someone around. “The fear of being alone is the father of many relationships that never should of been.” When we choose to be with someone because we’re afraid to be alone we dishonor ourselves and the other person. The loneliness of course served a purpose. It is a great teacher. It’s a form of pain and pain can be a ruthless teacher. Loneliness can be a painful way to learn. Interestingly, solitude is the cure for loneliness. When we are afraid of being alone, we should go into it. Dive deep into it. Solitude teaches us profound lessons. Especially about ourselves. Feeling lonely has value. Sometimes we need to turn inward to discover what we need to hold on to and what we need to let go of. One of life’s most essential lessons is learning to be alone. In many ways, until we learn to be comfortable alone and more than that, to enjoy our own company, we are not really ready to live a bold and passionate life. And until we learn that lesson we are unconditionally unprepared to be in any kind of significant relationship with another person. Until we really know ourselves, we waiver a lot and come down on the wrong side of too many decisions. Once we get to know ourselves and establish a sense of self, we find ourselves in possession of a rare clarity. Loneliness or solitude or perhaps both teach us who we are deep down beyond the influence of parents, teachers, friends, and current culture. Loneliness and solitude teach us what is really important and what is trivial nonesense. #Loneliness is a form of hunger. And hunger is good for us. Loneliness and #Solitude teach us #Gratitude. There are differences between the two but they intermingle and often it is impossible to separate them. Make sure that you learn and know the difference!