Sometimes I feel as though loneliness is a kind of sickness that has spread in our modern world more than it did at other times.
Our level of loneliness screams so loudly that it can’t be stifled by all the advancements we have achieved in science and technology.
We may acquire many things at the mere touch of a button. We may have every comfort that our ancestors never had before. We may even eat far more delicious food than even kings and rich men had in the past. And yet all these things were never able to feel the emptiness we still feel within.
Why is the modern man or woman so lonely?
In this article, I would like to propose four possible reasons for our loneliness today:
1. People are lonely because they have their sense of community
In the olden days, people had a natural sense of belonging to a community. You don’t have to join a club just to have people to hang out with. You don’t need to enlist in a virtual meeting to have people to talk to.
You just have neighbors, friends and acquaintances that you naturally see and interact with each day.
There is usually a group leader one looks up to. Then some people offer the goods or services that you need. Think about local farmers, bakers or tailors. Think also about the fruit vendor, the post man or the carpenter you have known since you were young.
2. People are lonely because they have lost their sense of family
This modern world has uprooted many people not only from their local communities, but from their relatives and immediate families.
Because of work, many live in new cities or even new countries that are very far away from the people they consider as home.
The family is the one place that should make you feel safe and cared for. It’s that place where you should feel you truly belong.
Without your family, you are much more vulnerable to feelings of loneliness and isolation.
How many people today hardly have anyone to talk to after their office work? How many are in desperate need for true friendship?
3. People are lonely because they have lost touch with nature
While some people may still live close to nature, some have been deprived of this wonderful privilege.
How many people live in areas where everything seems to be artificial? How many can’t even get to walk in a natural setting while breathing the fresh air and enjoying nature’s beauty?
My personal experience in traveling has taught me how vital our connection with nature is.
There was a time when all my troubles seem to have receded at the sight of a glorious sunset by the sea. I felt nearer to God then as I gazed upon the beautiful things He has made.
4. People are lonely because they have forgotten God
Modern man seems to have replaced one’s spiritual life with one’s virtual life.
Instead of being focused on God and the spiritual world, we can be more concerned with our virtual illusions.
It’s not that we shouldn’t utilize the resources we have today. But we must not let them replace what’s truly important in life.
In the end, it is only God that can fulfill the deepest desires of our hearts.
Final thoughts
The loneliness that people feel in our modern world is a sign of having lost touch with what our souls need deep within.
We need to be surrounded by the kind of beauty that nature provides. We need to be with a community of people we can touch and see face-to-face. Farther, we need the love and support that our dear family can provide.
All of these things are essential for a human being to feel whole, happy and rooted. They remind us that we are not mere machines, and productivity and wealth are not the only things that we can provide.
We are made in the image and likeness of God. And we need to cling on to Him now more than ever!
Have you ever felt lonely deep within? Your loneliness may just be pointing the way where your true happiness can be found.
“As a deer longs for a stream of cool water,
so I long for you, O God.
I thirst for you, the living God.
When can I go and worship in your presence?”
-Psalm 42:1-2(GNT)
Jocelyn Soriano writes about relationships and the Catholic faith at Single Catholic Writer. She is the author of 366 Days of Compassion, To Love an Invisible God and Mend My Broken Heart.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In