Loneliness is Never Happiness

by Celmer Charles Villareal

One of my favorite songs from the Youth Mutual Theme Album has this remarkable opening lines:

There are times when you might feel aimless,

And you cant see the places where you belong. . .

Such times may be the gloomiest moments of ones lifemoments when nobody is there to talk with; moments
when one feels that he carries the weight of the whole world; moments when one is overpowered by depression;
moments when one feels that he is the only one who experiences unbearable difficulties in life. These are the moments
of loneliness.

Loneliness is the antithesis of joy. It grabs many opportunities in life. It distorts reality. It promotes idleness. It
destroys civility. It degrades character. It defames ones integrity. It is the strongest repellant of happiness.

Most of the time, loneliness comes from depression. It results when one resolves to remove himself from the
people. The thought that no one can understand what he is feeling totally overwhelms himself. Sadly, he concludes that
nobody cares at all; that nobody notices what he is going through; that he is invisible. What a heart crushing moment to
behold!

To those who feel this way, they say, Its good to be alone. Maybe it is truethat in solitude we can focus our
mind; that in silence we hear the sound of nature; that in quietude we appreciate the beauty of Gods creations. Most
loners say that being alone is the best time for self-evaluation, to spend an ample time talking with oneself. It may sound
crazy (talking to oneself), but for them, it is not bad at all. They are so much concerned about life. They have so many
questions in mind, much of them are beyond the expectations of reality. They want them all to be answeredbut by
their own.

However, as they ponder all of their question too much, they forget this one essential truth: we are never alone.
Even in the beginning, when God finished creating the heaven and the earth, and placed Adam in the Garden of Eden,
He pronounced everything as good, except for one thing: that Adam was alone. That is why He gave Eve to be Adams
partner, his wife and his support.

From that we learn that we are never designed nor meant to be alone. The fruits of our first parents bring forth
the human generation, which we now have as our family. This is the divine gift given to us mortals, as our Father in
heaven promised that [He] will never leave [us]. As His sons and daughters, He wants us to be happy here on earth. He
never wants us to be alone, because He loves each one of us.

Knowing that each of us is special and important in the eyes of God, we will find the worth and value of every
individual. We are all part of a big family. No one is alone. It is not true that happiness exists in loneliness; but rather, it is
sadness. True and lasting happiness comes only when we make others happy. There is no other way.

With this realization in mind, I always try my best to reach out to those who stay only at the corner, who are shy,
who feel they are not welcomed, because I know the feeling of being alone.

Yes, I was once a victim of depression. I was one of those who said that there is happiness in loneliness, where in
fact, there was none. I was one of them who felt that I am alone walking in the midst of a troubled road.

My mother died when I was yet young, just two weeks before my 5th birthday. At that segment of my childhood,
to live in a home where there was no light was far beyond the imagination of a toddler. No sooner, father left and
cleaved to his new wife. In just a blink of an eye, my parents were gone. Moreover, they left me with no siblings. In
other words, they left me alone.

As I grew up, the feelings of loneliness deeply rooted in my heart. There came a point in my life where I
considered melancholy as my natural and unchangeable temperament. I held on to my belief that peace is attained
through isolation. Everyone who knew me described me as silent, mysterious, cryptic, egoistic, secretive, and many
more. With these distinctions of others, I felt lonelier.

Nevertheless, as I grew up, I realized that grieving for others absence could not help me at all. I do love my
parents, of course. But isolating my life just because they are not here only retards my progression. Rather than be
anxious for their absence, I would just cherish for those who are present. Those people who treat me as a personmy
family, which now compose of my grandmother, aunt, uncle, and cousins; my true friends; my classmates; my
acquaintances; and everyone connected to my lifeare the people who taught me that I am never alone.

May we all reach out to those who feel like they are in the deepest abyss. Let us not bully or make fun of the
loners; we might not know, they need help. Let us not forget this enduring truth: true happiness comes only when we
make others happy. Let us make everyone feel they are a part of a big family.

We all need help. Problems, difficulties, trialsthe pain of struggle can be eased with loving hearts and reaching
arms. Just as the proceeding lines of the song Glorious, which I mentioned earlier, states:

But you will find that there is a purpose.

Its been there within you all along.

And when youre near it, you can almost hear it.

Its like a symphony, just keep listening.

And pretty soon youll start to figure out youre part.

Everyone plays a piece, and there are melodies

In each one of us.

Oh, its glorious.