Loneliness: Life's Greatest Tragedy

My whole life, especially when I was younger, I would naturally put myself in other people’s shoes. I think we can all say that no matter what school we went to, there was always that classmate that sat by himself at lunch and didn’t reach out to others. I imagined how I would feel if I was in their situation and what I would do about it. The one thing that always effected me was watching a person suffer from loneliness. I always had a soft spot for the loner. I always had friends and felt that I was in good company. I had people looking out for me and I was looking out for them as well. The other kids would always speculate about how weird the loner was or act like he was an alien. I found myself being the kid that would reach out and one day sit next to him at lunch. I always tried to picture how I would feel being left out of everything and feeling out of place. Out of all the feelings I have ever felt, this is the worst one I could ever imagine. It is greater than any physical pain and mind you I have had teeth knocked out, I have scars on my thighs from being spiked by sports cleats, and the list goes on. I’ve been humiliated, embarrassed, yelled at, told I was no good, and many other emotional harassments but the worst feeling I have ever experienced was loneliness. Life on this planet is hard but you can move on with the help of those around you who care about you. Having no one is a scary thought.

Being alone in a place where all others seem to be getting along is scary. The loner kid who all the other kids would make fun of or ignore and step on, nine out of ten times was very nice and normal but lacked key social skills. Over my 12 years in the NYC public education system I’ve come to meet around 8 or 10 kids that would sit alone everyday in the same place at lunch. They would have the same look on their face and it was always disheartening that society would just pass on by and not pick up their fellow man. I was one of few who felt that it was my duty to see this kid smile at least one time.

Getting to know the loner kid opened my eyes to how fortunate and lucky I am to have the people I know around me; it makes me embrace them much more. The person in life who seems to always be alone seems content on the outside with what he has, which I respect. But No matter who you are everyone needs at least one friend. There is nothing worse in life then loneliness. The world is a community, being left out runs a pain up my spine.

Donating a few minutes of your busy life can make all the difference to an individual. Making him feel like he’s worth someone’s time can really be uplifting for him and you. These kids are a sign of inspiration, for embracing those around you as well as reaching out to all those in need.

From my experience the loner is just a nice person lost in the crowd. A quiet kid who hasn’t found himself yet or isn’t as confident as the rest. They are usually very nice and interesting. One example is a kid I befriended in high school. He is an incredible artist; I was the only one who knew this about him. Many of these kids, who we call loners, I have come across have been very nice and they all had a special talent or gift, they are just on the quiet side.

I recommend next time you come across an associate or classmate who seems to be lonesome, reach out instead of gossiping about how weird they are. It will make their day and make your heart and soul stronger. I feel no matter how busy you are in life there is always time for others, if you can’t make time for those around you, one day you will experience deep lonesome.