Every human being experiences some form of loneliness at some stage in their life. I have experienced my due share of loneliness.
“Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink,” cried the Ancient Mariner when he was shipwrecked on the high seas. Though the cry sounds chilling, they are only words contained in a poem written by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
In today’s troubled world, many an anguished person seems to be crying, like the Ancient Mariner, “I see people, people everywhere, but not one to be my soul mate.” It is a paradox of life that we could be lonely in a crowded world and that those people who are near to us may not be dear to us.
To a lonely heart, even a candle is company in a dark room.
Loneliness is an obstacle to serenity. Normal problems appear aggravated when we are lonely. We tend to be more fearful and less cheerful, more withdrawn, and less social.
Actually, no mirror can reflect a lonely heart.
It is a fact of life that others will not fully understand the “real you.” It requires wisdom to realize that when we are right, name many people remember, but when we are wrong, few people forget.
We usually judge ourselves by our noble intentions, while other people judge us by our deeds. We are really much better than what others think of us.
Combating loneliness is a key to serenity. Certain measures deserve to be taken to escape from the doldrums and put us in a sublime mood. A serene spirit comes to a person when he is at peace with his “inner life” and his “inner world.” This world contains a person’s private thoughts, experiences, desires, fears and feelings. It is a world that is very personal and real to him. A good example of serenity is found in the story of Job in the bible. When buffeted by a whole range of calamities, Job remained calm and tranquil. He said to his detractors, “Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away.”
The secret to serenity lies in our ability to share our inner world with another person or a few selected people. When this occurs, our heart is filled with gladness, leaving little room for loneliness. As Pearl Buck wrote, “The person who tries to live alone will not succeed as a human being. His heart withers if it does not answer another heart. His mind shrinks away if he hears the echoes of his own thoughts and finds no other inspiration.”
I hope you have enjoyed this excerpt from my book. I will be posting more excerpts in future posts, so please come back. Click here to buy your copy of A Book of Wisdom and Delight from Amazon today.
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