762. Never lonely…… always connected!!!

The moment I came out of my mother’s womb I have been with people. My parents and sister when I was kid, teachers and friends at school and college, business associates, clients, vendors at workplace and the list goes on and on. Yet there is lonely feel which is felt time and again. There is none who can say they have never felt lonely at all. Some might have experienced it for a long period of time while some are in such mood occasionally.

Long lasting loneliness could breed depression at times making everything meaningless and everyone distant and it is then life becomes bland. We are so used to having people around by living in a society that we have lost sight of our individual and independent nature of bliss. It is a regular effort in most of us to substitute the inner void created by loneliness with external experiences like watching T.V or interacting on social media sites or shopping. Is it the right way??? These substitute activities drain us out; they make us forget about ourselves. Forgetting about ourselves is the same as ignoring ourselves. Ignoring our self is forgetting about the inner voice in us which is our real self.

It is this real self which make us to love and accept ourselves providing a sense of self-esteem and self-acceptance. We start to get in touch with our self, our talents and capabilities. With that we begin to get comfortable with our self and as that happens, the fear of loneliness disappears just as the morning mist dewdrops vanish as sun shines.

I am never lonely to myself when I gain a certain ease with my real self and then the need for external experience or the urge to be in touch with someone always diminishes. When I am not dependent on the external traits everything looks beautiful and there is a feel of fullness. I am not disconnected to anything at all.      

Once a rich man from city visited Himalayas and asked a Sadhu there how he could stay alone?

The Sadhu Maharaj replied, “I like being alone, but I am not lonely. Even if you are with people around you feel lonely, isn’t it?”  

“But, the place you live is too far.” said the rich man.

“Far from where?”Asked Sadhu Maharaj.

“Far from city.” said the Rich Man.

“Far, near, here and there are all relative words. To you city is far from here and Himalayas is far from there. Nothing is far to a person who basks in the bliss of solitude.” Said the Sadhu Maharaj.