For the 36 million Americans living in solitude during this global pandemic, it’s essential for our sanity that we recognize that being alone is not the same as being lonely. Granted, being physically cut off from other human beings probably means we will feel lonely, but that doesn’t mean we can’t lose ourselves in endlessly debating the juxtaposition of these concepts. Oh and also when this debate ends I’ll be forced to face the grim reality that I had acute bronchitis last year and am therefore marked for death, so let’s explore this distinction further!
It was Oscar Wilde who famously quipped “work is the curse of the drinking class.” A timeless witticism that I, too, find works just as well in bringing levity to depressing conversations about my alcoholism. Nevertheless, I’m reading Wikipedia drunk again and only a few tangential clicks away from reading something coronavirus related that will send me into a panic so let’s stick to the whole “being alone” thing.
Being alone is a state of being while being lonely has an implied negative emotional connotation. Plus, you can be lonely while being around people. I used to fear the latter because, while I can make efforts to surround myself with more people, I struggle to understand my emotions and am much more comfortable solving external problems as opposed to internal, emotional ones. Besides, when I inevitably get sick and die any minute now I’ll be quite literally forever alone anyway so what’s the fucking point?
Fuck, I’m catastrophizing again. Let’s stick to this debate. I know these are precarious times but can we all just take a minute to appreciate the oxymoronic poetry of the #AloneTogether movement? Seriously, what better way to escape the depths of our isolation than by getting off on a savvy once-in-a-generation branding campaign! I went off about this to my family but they’re too busy grieving over grandma to debate. They have such poor coping strategies. Sad.
With so much fear and uncertainty in the world, it’s no wonder we cleave to distractions. “Cleave” is such an interesting word. It’s actually a contronym, which is when the same word has opposite meanings. You might say it’s like being caught in a downward spiral but feeling strangely aloof at the same time. Or maybe I’m just being “a fool,” LOL! Can’t get enough of those anagrams. Anyway, we’re all gonna die.