Sunday afternoon walks with my dog were a regular experience of loneliness. Because it takes courage to examine one's loneliness, it is often a silent and unacknowledged companion in men's lives. Loneliness is social dilemma. Loneliness is a modern malady that accompanies urbanization. Fear of violence, prompting people to barricade themselves behind double-bolted doors, intensifies loneliness in cities.
More people live alone, bowl alone, travel alone, eat alone.
Not everyone who lives alone is lonely, nor does being with others automatically eliminate loneliness. But men who live alone are prone to loneliness. Healing begins by recognizing that loneliness is part of the human condition. Each of us is in the world without props. In this sense, my loneliness, like my nakedness, describes being in God's presence.