We are all alone (and that's okay)
“According to the teachers, there is only one thing that all people possess equally. This is their loneliness.”
— Hyemeyohsts Storm
Loneliness is one of the most universal human experiences, yet many of us spend our lives trying to outwit it, suppress it, or run away from it. We look for ways to fill the void—through relationships, distractions, or constant activity—hoping to banish the uncomfortable truth that, at our core, we are alone. Many dream of finding a perfect partner, someone who will dissolve all sense of isolation and make us feel complete. But this is an illusion that often ends in disappointment, because no other person can carry the impossible burden of filling the emptiness within us.
Loneliness cannot be eradicated, but it can be embraced. The first step is to stop fighting it. There is no need to frantically cover up every reminder of our aloneness or pretend it isn’t there. Loneliness is not a personal failing; it is part of the human condition. Every person, no matter how connected or loved, faces the reality of separateness. And paradoxically, it is only when we accept this truth that we become capable of forming genuine connections with others.
I once came across a powerful line: “True intimacy with another man or woman comes out of first seeing our separateness, and then bridging the gap.” When we acknowledge our solitude, we stop seeking salvation in others and start meeting them as fellow travelers on the same path. From that place of honesty, contact becomes deeper, freer, and more real—not a desperate attempt to escape ourselves but a conscious choice to share our lives.
Today, instead of resisting loneliness, allow it to exist. Let it remind you that you are human. And if you can, reach out—have a conversation, write a letter, or simply sit with someone in silence—knowing that they, too, live with their own quiet solitude. In doing so, you may discover that loneliness does not isolate us; it unites us. It is the bridge that can bring us closer, if we dare to cross it.
