Loneliness: Not Just an Absence of Human Contact

The world is still in a raised state of uncertainty, and with that, we are asked by the government to keep our distance from others and stay in for extended amounts of time. Now these new set of rules may not mean much for people who are more introverted, but even so, those who were already in a state of loneliness have to go even deeper into it because of social distancing. Research was conducted throughout today, and what I have found out was absolutely profound.

Phys.org states that the rate of loneliness in Americans went from 17%, all the way up to 57%, which is about ¾ of American people admitting to feeling immense feelings of loneliness. The word “lonely” is something that is thrown around a lot in the modern day, but the word can be used to describe a heck of a lot more than just a lack of company.

Loneliness is something that can be explored for many, many hours, days, weeks, and even years. It comes in many different shapes in sizes and can loom over anybody without one knowing, not to mention how complicated it can be at times. There can be a person with a lot of friends, family, and company all around, but still feel as if they do not belong anywhere in society. How is such a thing possible? Well, going deeper into the idea of loneliness can find a variety of answers. Some people feel lonely because of an absence of something. For example, a feeling, or in some cases, knowledge of something. Many people can feel as if they don’t belong in society because they don’t have the feeling of love, or the knowledge that they are wanted anywhere. As a result, one may isolate themselves and hide from the world because they feel that nobody would be able to truly understand what is going on inside their head and the thoughts they have as a result of missing emotions in their lives. Nobody has control over these kinds of things, and finding help when you don’t feel as if you belong anywhere can be challenging. Some people project their feelings in art form to try and get out to the world. For example, musician Kevin Parker and artist Michelangelo. These are just a few people who used their moments of solitude from the world to make something to show everybody. Not everyone can do things like that, though. Always be sure to check in with those close to you whenever possible. You never know what's lingering in, or around a person.

Article by Josh Mason