From Loneliness to Solitude: An Inner Journey

There are many ways to define loneliness; but over the years, I ve chosen to define it as those times in your life when you have no one to share your successes and failures, no one nearby who can console or inspire you, believe in you and support you or listen to you, or who has a desire to help you when life seems to have abandoned you. Loneliness can be a time of discouragement as well as great personal learning. It can be a period in life filled with disappointment and frustration or it can be a wonderful growth journey toward enlightenment and inner peace. What I do know is that I have known wealthy people, successful people, people in their 20 s, older people, males, females, educated people, poor people and talented people who were all lonely at one time or another. I have also known people in all of the above categories who were experiencing the same circumstances and who were not lonely. So, how did we get here, you and I? Loneliness isn t caused by despair, anxiety, grief, regret, discouragement, frustration, fear or any other emotion. These feelings can contribute to your sense of loneliness, but they are not its cause. The real reasons for our sense of loneliness will always be our internal attitudes, mindsets and life outlook rather than any external circumstances.