Some Thoughts and Recollections

We looked at some quotes regarding loneliness and relationships with other people in class today.  The first of these two was "No man is an island." 


For the most part, I agree with the above quotation by John Donne.  I think that we are essentially dependent on relationships with other people, and as humans we have the need to share our thoughts and ideas.  I used to be, metaphorically, an island.  I never wanted to open up my mind to anyone, and at the time I was content with that.  I thought in my head, and I listened to other peoples' thoughts, but I never felt the need to state my emotions to others.  I viewed thoughts as affairs to stay confined to my head, never to be exposed to others.  More recently, I've opened up to other people a bit more.  I state my thoughts from time to time, but sometimes I still feel like if I ever say how I feel others will debate my opinion and I won't like it.  I don't like being argued against, I feel cornered and attacked.  Call me a wimp, but I really hate that.  It is eye-opening to no longer be an island, and I now see how it is necessary to depend on other people.  If we can relate to one another, we can carry each others burdens and be able to share ideas.  When we share ideas, we can bounce off of each others' thoughts and create solutions to current problems.  When we "build bridges" between our "islands," we can work together to solve both minor and major problems.


The second quote we discussed was "Hell is other people."


I do not necessarily agree with this perspective of life.  It is very pessimistic, and those with this attitude will not be able to form relationships and be able to work with other people to accomplish a goal.  I am generally not one to complain about other people, but from time to time we all have our irritable days when the behaviors of other humans can seem irksome.  Sometimes I don't like what other people do, but I would never take these minor pet peeves to the extreme of developing such distaste towards other people.  I believe that proximity to other members of the human race is novel.  We must depend on each other for survival and advancement of society, and if we isolate ourselves from others mankind will crumple.  I think it is okay to choose to be lonely from time to time, but despising other people is not right.  I personally, as I have stated previously, do not feel the need to be constantly communicating with other people.  This is not because I don't like them, but because I prefer listening to talking.  


A quote I found myself about loneliness is as follows:


Language... has created the word "loneliness" to express the pain of being alone. And it has created the word "solitude" to express the glory of being alone.
Paul Tillich

While I don't find this to be the most profound or eye-opening quote, I definitely find it to be true.  The first thing I thought of when I read this was denotation versus connotation.  Merriam-Webster's defines "loneliness" simply as "the state of being without company;" and "solitude" is defined as "the quality or state of being alone or removed from society."  By dictionary definition, these words are interchangeable, but "loneliness" has a negative connotation while "solitude" has a positive connotation. I'm glad Paul Tillich recognizes that there are positive and negative aspects of being alone, and doesn't regard it as some sort of problem that must be avoided as often as possible.  I've already discussed how I feel about loneliness, and I don't want to use unnecessary words to express these thoughts once more.  Simply, I think that there is, in fact, pleasure in being alone and thinking.  Loneliness has both its ups and downs, but it is not necessarily something to avoid. 


A quote I found regarding happiness is this: "Since you get more joy out of giving joy to others, you should put a good deal of thought into the happiness that you are able to give."  This statement brought me to ask myself the question, "Is there any value in happiness generated for the wrong reasons?"  It's easy to answer this question with a blatant "no," but there is more to think about that that.  What is the right reason to be happy?  The quote directly discusses happiness from giving to others.  Superficially, it is better to be satisfied with giving back to others than to only receive joy through receiving.  HOwever, when we are joyful givers, is it because we sincerely enjoy giving to others or because we want others to thank us and praise us for giving?  Is our happiness rooted in selfishness and the glorification of our own name? Or is it created for the right reasons?  I believe that happiness is something wonderful, and the more happiness we experience in life, the better.  I also believe in spreading happiness to others.  However, I don't believe that whatever it takes to make a person happy should be done, because happiness should never be produced for selfish or corrupt reasons.  I'm not sure if what I have to say about the roots of happiness relates directly to the quote, but it was my reaction to it, and is also something great to think about.