Loneliness and Aloneness— Alone Again (Naturally): A Personal View

This study is a personal view onto loneliness and aloneness, two conceptions that are viewed in ways both congenial and conflicting. We normally think of loneliness in a negative light, it being just what we expect: Feelings of estrangement, detachment from people and society, often combined with sadness at being left out by others. Aloneness may approach feelings like these, but can also be simply that: Being alone, which many people quite like and find can be very productive. Yes, the two impressions often combine into one another, and when we are lonely we are also usually alone, and often when we are alone, even if we find it to be a fairly comfortable space, we may be in some senses lonely.