Alone, But not Lonely...

I was having a debate with a friend of mine about the pros and cons of being a people’s person as opposed to being a loner.

Though I can easily communicate and indulge in a conversation with people when required, my tendency is to bend to the second set. Therefore, I shall put forward my stand. Firstly, I would like to clarify that a loner is happy being alone. She/ He is alone, but not lonely. Spending time with myself, I get to ponder over the many unanswered questions about life- the many questions and thoughts that pop up in most people’s minds at some point or the other. Questions about why we are doing what we are doing, about what do we consider wrong or right leaving aside the society-imbibed ethical principles, questions about love and natural urges. And finally questions about the whole purpose of existence itself. The majority of people tend to repress these questions by engaging in some activity. Or they end up spending time with friends, at most times, doing nothing productive. Doing nothing is a joy in itself, I enjoy doing that as well. But running away from the unanswered questions is not wise I believe.

These questions need to be continuously addressed as the answers to them keep changing with time. And knowing these answers removes the restlessness and discomfort that sprouts out when people’s persons are in situation where they are completely alone. The urgency to get involved in something goes away. You stop getting scared of being alone.
Each person might have a different answer to the questions, so one cannot find out the answers to such questions by merely asking someone else. Every person has their own path and can see only what it wants them to see. But we need to look to see where our path lies and what it is showing us. Otherwise what might happen is, we might not recognize which one is truly ours and just go by the one the society told us as ours. And being in a path which is not ours can be unfulfilling. This feeling creates frustration within us, and thus affecting our near and dear ones as well. The best age, I feel, to question life is the early 20’s-the age where you can think like an adult and yet do not have the responsibilities of marriage, children, bills etc.

I am not suggesting that people should stop spending time with others or stop having fun just for the sake of having fun. That is absolutely essential too. I am just saying that people should take out some alone-time and look within themselves now and then. I feel this approach can remove a lot of frustration that is present like an invisible monster in the society today, and lead us all to a lighter more meaningful existence.