“Loneliness is not the experience of what one lacks, but rather the experience of what one is.~James Lenoard Park In a culture deeply entrenched in the rhetoric of autonomy and rights, the song of God’s lonely man so often goes unvoiced and unheeded. It is ironic how much of our freedom we expend on power — on conquering death, disease, and decay, all the while concealing from each other our carefully buried loneliness, which if shared, would deepen our understanding of each other.” Generally, we think of two types: social and emotional loneliness. Social loneliness is when you are without reliable relationships – people to share interests with, on whom you could rely if your car broke down, etc. Emotional loneliness stems from feeling like you have no meaningful connection or relationships – spouse, partner, feelings of distance from family. But, there is another type of loneliness, that is more recognized in theology and philosophy, and has emerged in psychology as well: existential loneliness. This loneliness is described as spiritual loneliness. It is a deep feeling of loneliness, or a sense of longing that cannot be fulfilled through social solutions. “We might discover that no matter how good our personal relationships are, we still feel ‘empty’ and ‘lonesome’. If so, perhaps we are really struggling with our Existential Malaise disguised as a complex of problems in personal relationships.” – James Leonard Park, essay on Loneliness of Spirit
Posted on: Wed, 31 Dec 2014 00:32:15 +0000