Ridin' solo

People fear loneliness. It is an undeniable fact. Women buy cats in their old age to eliminate the feeling. Mothers send their children to day camps to ensure that their sons and daughters will find companionship. Inter-city teenagers join gangs to feel like their part of something: to feel less alone.

I think it has to do with insecurity; people want to be seen around other people so that they will feel less judged. When in fact, companionship is much more cruel than its counterpart. Humans are flawed and jealous creatures by nature. Because we dislike ourselves so much, we feel the need to judge the people we are with to prove we are not the worst. For example, I can be really stubborn so when I see someone who changes his or her mind constantly, I (although I try not to) might point it out to someone else. Because, when someone has a flaw opposite of my own and other people agree it is a flaw, it makes my own problem seem better than the alternative. And you do it too. I know you do.

However, when we are alone, the only judgement we have to deal with is our own. And although I will be the first to say that we all are our own worst critics, at least it is a criticism we can justify. We know all the things that suck about us, but when other people try to point them out, it feels like they have no right to assume those things, even if they are true. It's kind of freeing knowing that, when you are alone, there can be no lies. Everything you say about yourself is what you actually think about yourself, and therefor the truth.

So, what I am trying to say, is that loneliness isn't as bad as people let on. For as much as I love love love my friends (see previous blog post entitled "worthless"), there is something about being alone that is comforting. So let's try to eliminate the negative stigma that surrounds the modern "lone wolf". And as the rest of the world enjoys their harsh and judging friendships, consider the freedom of loneliness.