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Excerpt from ARGO, my newest novel 8/19/2016 11:58:52 AM
There are three kinds of loneliness in this world. The first is SOCIAL. We all need other people around us even if there is no significant interaction. Visit a local coffee shop; at any given time, at least half the customers sit alone. They may read a newspaper, fiddle with their phones or scribble in journals. But each is truly sustained by the presence of other people.
The next is spiritual. Since the beginning of time, humans have contemplated a universe complex and mysterious beyond imagination. Unable to fully comprehend or explain what they saw, early humans invented gods who, in their ineluctable wisdom, made things happen. It took centuries but eventually humans began to understand, turning their gods into fictional characters in an imagined story.
But what we know, individually and collectively, remains infinitely less than what we can know. This creates a loneliness which leads individuals to join together, to articulate complex theologies, to erect enormous churches and temples. Many believe these religions were the most significant factor in the development of human culture. And it all began when lonely individuals contemplated a stunningly complex and beautiful universe.
The third form of loneliness is intimate and personal. Although this varies in form, virtually every lonely individual seeks a ‘true connection,’ a ‘soul mate.’ Among the young, this is most commonly seen in the selection of a mate which often produces a miracle no less miraculous because it is so common: children.
For some, bringing children into the world is not possible or desirable. But that drive to connect is every bit as compelling as the desire to find a mate. This, we believe, is the most common form of loneliness in this complex and confusing world.
