OVERCOMING LONELINESS

Recent reports indicate that as much as 33 per cent of the world’s population is lonely.

- PARAMJIT BASRA

That is an amazing statistic. What can be going on when so many are feeling lonely in a world where there are so many people and so many ways of staying connected and reaching out to othersFeelings of loneliness can be triggered by major life-altering events, social anxiety, or just by the fact of living alone, but those triggers are not the root cause.

The root cause is based on an identity crisis, and the conditioning belief that all happiness lies with achieving and acquiring. Looking for fulfilment outside of the self is precarious because nothing external is permanent – everything is temporary. So, if I identify with any of the roles I play, that of profession, marital status, talents or skills, then once the role is over, as all roles will be, I am left bereft and empty. With this kind of awareness, my life will be a roller coaster – happy when things go well and lost and lonely when things do not.