Loneliness

Loneliness is a curse of our modern civilization. As our civilization is developing day by day we are also feeling loneliness gradually. Today majority portion of world population are feeling loneliness. Especially the senior citizens are feeling more. The early men lived in groups.  Just thirty years ago, the people had a good social network. The social relationship was more cordial than today. Every house was a Home. There was no boundary between you and me. The juniors of our locality were like our own brothers and sisters, all the seniors were our guardians. They rebuked us and at the same time they loved also. The whole locality was like a family. At that time poverty was there, but people had the courage to fight against that poverty. The (outer) standard of living was poor but the inner standard of life was high. People could feel the joy and sorrows of their neighbors. The family communication system was also good. Hand written letters, specially the yellow postcards are the main medium of communication system. At that time the term loneliness was an unknown term.

The scenario has changed. We are progressing. Our income level is increasing. As a result, our standard of living is also increasing. Gradually we are becoming family centric. Today, we know only our families and nothing else. Today’s children can identify their near nuclear family members only. They have no friends to play, no friends to share their sorrows and happiness. They feel alone. A busy person works 24X7, yet he is feeling alone. The limited social relationship is something artificial. There is a rapid change in our communication system. But where is that hand written letters wrapped with love, which came from my distant relatives? Senior citizens, our old parents are feeling loneliness more. We have no time for them to spare. We are living like a lonely island.

How we can overcome this? Some humble suggestions:

v     Expand your love. Don’t love yourself only.

v     Think for others. Feel for others.

v     Make a phone regularly to your near and distant relatives.

v     Attend family festivals & get together.

v     Write hand written letters to your old parents & senior citizens.

v     Visit your ailing friend’s house with your wife and children.

v     Read good books. Increase your reading habits. 

v     Wish your friend on his/her birthday or anniversary.

v     Help needy students. Give them proper guidance.

v     Help at least one poor in a week. Feel their struggle.

v     Increase your contact power by adopting various Medias.

v     Always feel that I am not alone, the whole world is with me.

Expansion is the first condition. Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902) gave us a direction - ``Sit in a straight posture, and the first thing to do is to send a current of holy thought to all creation. Mentally repeat, `` Let all beings be happy; let all beings be peaceful; let all beings be blissful.`` So do to the east, south,  north and west. The more you do that the better you will feel yourself. You will find at last that the easiest way to make ourselves healthy is to see that others are healthy, and the easiest way to make ourselves happy is to see that others are happy.`` (CW: 1-145-46).