Cause of Loneliness

What does it mean to feel lonely? Sometimes we feel lonely when we're alone but at other times we can feel separated even among a group of people. The usual response to this feeling of uneasiness is to find another activity to distract the mind; rather than focusing on our ability to confront the root of the problem, we become more concerned with providing ourselves an escape.

Loneliness sprouts from an exaggerated importance of oneself, also known as an "ego". When this ego takes an undue predominance in our lives, we increase the separation from the rest of the world; we lose a sense of unity with everything and trap our hearts in a nutshell. Life then becomes a struggle against the rest of the world. Furthermore, we try to distract ourselves from this drama, but when it too fails, we're left with a very confusing loneliness.

Instead of wandering down this path, if we become aware of the inner workings of our mind and learn to get past the mind's constant craving to be occupied with some notion, idea, or activity, we will understand what it means to be alone and yet not lonely. We will share a distinct familiarity with all beings and embrace everyone as brothers and sisters. Meditation is a way to jump-start this process of awareness, enabling us to understand and surpass the trickery of our minds.