All the Lonely People...and Other Living Things

Only the lonely know
The loneliest number is one.
That's how life goes,
And loneliness is no damn fun.

In the World According to AARP, loneliness is fast becoming the new American plague.

I think loneliness has always been the saddest thing a living being can experience. It's tied to loss, but it's much deeper and much worse. The saddest sights, to me, have always been a lone horse, head down in a barren lot. Or a dog with a too-tight collar chained to a post, either barking in frustration or unfeeling in defeat. Or a kid sleeping on the street because he was thrown out or ran away from a horrible home.

The sadness in the world is overwhelming, which is why so many of us avoid seeing it, believing it, and certainly feeling it. We don't want to feel sad, or feel helpless to stop sadness, or feel guilty when we see sadness.

It's time to recognize that the saddest thing in the world is loneliness. And we have to try to do something to make it better whenever we can. The sad part of that is, we often can't. Or won't. And that makes our own souls sad and lonely too.

All the lonely people and pets — where do they all come from?
Uncaring homes.
Where do they all belong?
With loving friends and family.

Or even with loving, caring strangers who become friends and family, if even for a moment.