To the extent that a person is responsible for his own life, he is lonely. Responsibility implies authorship; to be aware of your authorship means to give up the belief that there is another who creates and protects you. Irwin David Yalom Loneliness... This is a very emotionally charged word for many. For some, pain and melancholy slip through it, while others find peace in this word. When I hear this word or think about it, I think of it as an opportunity. The attitude towards loneliness in our society is negative. They simply simply don't like him. The vast majority express their dislike for loneliness: both those who are not lonely and those who are lonely. Those who feel comfortable alone also do not respect it, because it is not accepted in our environment. Throughout my life, full of people and events, I have very rarely met those who do not hate loneliness in one form or another, who sincerely admire it . I am incredibly happy about these people. In my opinion, these people have achieved the highest level of acceptance of themselves and their preferences. Some psychologists tell me that a person constantly develops in society and socializes. That is why loneliness seems harmful and should be respected in rare cases. My only reaction to these words is... Well, let's study only social psychology and social processes, let's erase the individual person, his individuality, from our attention. I think, after reading a couple of my texts, you can understand that I will not give up so easily :) Before expressing the main idea, I will put forward several theses: social phobia is not loneliness, it is a disorder that can be worked through with a psychotherapist; loneliness is not depression. Yes, depression can make a person feel lonely; but “depressive loneliness” is special, with special thoughts, with a special understanding of what is happening. Having excluded those points in which loneliness can be a symptom or sign of a more global and serious condition, I want to say that loneliness is an excellent opportunity .The opportunity to be alone with yourself, to work, to do productive introspection. Loneliness is an opportunity to love yourself, because you are left alone with your personality, you begin to study and recognize yourself from different sides. Loneliness is a great opportunity to develop yourself (after all, no one bothers you!). Even for extroverts (if you remember the previous article - How to become an extrovert?) loneliness is useful as an experience that you can survive and become stronger, broader, richer personally. If you have a fear of being alone forever, maybe it’s worth thinking about why you are afraid of it. When loneliness provides so many opportunities for growth, but you are still afraid of always being alone. Maybe you are worried about something deeper, something much more destructive than loneliness? Love loneliness or at least respect it, perceive it in a positive way, as a gift and a bouquet of opportunities. Then it will love you too, believe me. It’s not for nothing that I’m so zealously defending his rights here..