nobody knows me at all
On my way to Cameroon a couple of years ago, I had a 24 hr layover by myself in Paris. I stayed at a hotel in the city, bought a baguette the next day, and took it to a park to eat, read, journal, and people-watch for the day.
A guy walked up and asked if he could sit with me and we ended up talking for about an hour. He asked about my studies in counseling and asked why people go to counseling. We found our way to the topic of loneliness, and I said I think we all experience loneliness at our core. And he said, "But you're married and you have friends. How can you be lonely? That doesn't make any sense."
This is the illusion, the lie, I think - that the physical and maybe even emotional presence of others in our lives means we aren't or shouldn't feel lonely. But I think we all desire to be FULLY known on a depth that may not actually be possible in this life, at least.
There's 1 song in particular by The Weepies that I love. Every time I hear it, I feel playful, happy, carefree. Then I listen to the lyrics ("nobody knows me at all"), realize the irony of the light-hearted melody, and feel sad about the reality of loneliness in our lives. The second irony is that my loneliness somehow feels less when I hear (the song) and see (the video) the loneliness of others. Solidarity on some level I suppose. Anyway, here's the song (& video).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FRP0IvPis8
A guy walked up and asked if he could sit with me and we ended up talking for about an hour. He asked about my studies in counseling and asked why people go to counseling. We found our way to the topic of loneliness, and I said I think we all experience loneliness at our core. And he said, "But you're married and you have friends. How can you be lonely? That doesn't make any sense."
This is the illusion, the lie, I think - that the physical and maybe even emotional presence of others in our lives means we aren't or shouldn't feel lonely. But I think we all desire to be FULLY known on a depth that may not actually be possible in this life, at least.
There's 1 song in particular by The Weepies that I love. Every time I hear it, I feel playful, happy, carefree. Then I listen to the lyrics ("nobody knows me at all"), realize the irony of the light-hearted melody, and feel sad about the reality of loneliness in our lives. The second irony is that my loneliness somehow feels less when I hear (the song) and see (the video) the loneliness of others. Solidarity on some level I suppose. Anyway, here's the song (& video).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FRP0IvPis8
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