It is only me and every being in the world and every ant and every plant and me Countless me less and less us Counting people and beasts as counting sheep lull me Lull me into love into a meal shared lull me into us If only you could hold me without bending and I be held without being compressed It is me and it is you it is God and it is them L O N E L I N E S S
There is a cost to isolation, a cost to relationships, and a range of costs within each. It pains me to see people I care about maintain relationships that verge on abuse, and it pains me to see people I care about isolate themselves to the point of misery. It may help us to evaluate the way we move in this world when it comes to solitude, relationships, and community.
In my life, more and more, as I’ve faced forks in the road between relationships and isolation, the answer remains clear. My aim is to build community for myself and others. It’s part of what keeps me hopeful in the face of injustice, bad news, and the drudgery of putting one foot in front of the other some days. And it supplies me with a joy that fills to overflowing in the light of beautiful news, successes large and small, and a meal shared.
When times get tough, a friend can be a life raft, and a community can be a life raft, food, shelter, and healing words for the journey through. Often community, not isolation, is precisely what we need to help us out of unhealthy relationships (as a side note: Specifically, I have seen community as the powerful and sometimes necessary support for those needing to leave abusive relationships).
It seems loneliness is a universal experience. We have a deep longing to be fully known and fully loved (at least, I suspect this is the case, and I’m open to other perspectives). Being around people cannot always cure this ache, but I have experienced how it can relieve loneliness’ pressure; how it can soothe its whine.
Extras
Only the Lonely | Danielle Ponder
Slow Up | Jacob Banks
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