The Lonely Planet

THE LONELY PLANET

“We're born alone, we live alone, we die alone. Only through our love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that we're not alone. ”  - Orson Welles

Earth is the the planet where a peculiar species of life is found - Homo sapien sapiens i.e. Humans Beings. Through various census' it has been found that human beings have grown many folds in terms of number which is well above 7 billion. We've a huge ancestral hierarchy.

Many poets, philosophers & critiques have described, often metaphorically, the attachment that we humans have with other beings, animals & other inanimate objects. Men believed that they were 'wasting' a lot of 'precious' time on things that could be avoided - thus men created machines & gadgets to work for them, so that they can continue their 'creative' thinking which they believed would lead them to a much higher & progressive state. It was also postulated that as people will have more time to think, their progress will be increased many folds. As time passed by, they realized a void in their lives, an emptiness that could be easily over-whelmed by the 7 deadly sins; namely - Wrath, Greed, Sloth, Pride, Lust, Envy & Gluttony. People began to indulge more in anti-social plannings. It was during this period that a few of them felt an awakening & decided to think for the better of others. Centuries later, we now know of only a few of those who refuted the atrophy & actually 'invented' & 'discovered' for the better of humanity.

“When the sparrow sings its final refrain, the hush is felt nowhere more deeply than in the heart of man.” - Don Williams Jr.

Over & over it has been felt by us, a constant craving - a longing for someone in our lives. A feeling that human's cannot survive without one another has been found in most of the people today. With machines doing most of our hard work, we've lost the hold off our minds & have began to find meanings in the most azoic things. Several philosophers, artistes & poets have described life as a lonely journey & the need of togetherness amongst us has just fueled it a bit more. When we listen to a music or a song, we often have a peculiar taste. The words or the chords that can substitute & enunciate our feelings(of the moment) are only liked/loved by us. During the rhythm, we try to link the cues to either something that's happening at the moment or to something that is even remotely related to us. Whilst walking/jogging, if a carefree wind blows a something that is flying parallel to us is often played-with in our minds(you know what I mean!). During brisk walking with fellow companions, we somehow - even subconsciously try to sync our steps. 

Music - a person can never have too much or too little. It has been persistently found that the songs that are sung in 1st or 2nd person are much more successful than their counterparts. The movies with a tragic end, not necessarily a blockbuster, but is often appreciated by some. By 'some' I mean those who can actually appreciate the piece objectively. 

Here's the list of Top 5 hit singles of All Time

#1 - "Candle In The Wind" by Elton John is the most successful single of all-time.

#2 - "I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston

#3 - "Everything I Do(I Do It For You)" by Bryan Adams

#4 - "We Are The World" by USA for Africa

#5 - "Hey Jude" by The Beatles.

Notice the uncanny analogy? It is because these songs somehow filled the void amongst the masses of the world. 

Have a look at the most famous Poems of All-Time.

#1 - "She Walks In Beauty" by Lord Byron

#2 - "If" by Rudyard Kipling

#3 - "How Do I Love Thee" by Elizabeth Browning

#4 - "Oh Captian! My Captain!" by Walt Whitman

#5 - "Sonnet 18: Shall I Compare Thee To a Summer's Day?" by William Shakespeare.

Titanic, Harry Potter, The Lord of The Rings, James Bond, The superhero franchises etc all consist strong protagonists; in fact - that's the secret ingredient of any successful film. The audience must be able to feel the characters that are being played onscreen. We all hoped in our minds for Jack to be saved(Titanic), Frodo to throw the ring in the fire(LOTR) & Harry to be alive(HP) because a link had been established & the audience begins to feel the sorrow, ecstasy of the character. I remember watching Inception & towards the end most people were perplexed as to whether the world was real or not.

These works of art have been successful as they momentarily makes us believe that the author/singer/artiste is talking to us. Here, our most primal urge to be heard comes into play. People never want to be discarded, to be left unheard, unsung. Every person always has a personal opinion on every matter. Give any person in the world a pen & a blank paper & see what he/she writes first - his/her NAME..

We also have sports. First let me elaborate on single sports like badminton, tennis, golf etc. Here is a person - usually of different ethnicity, country, thinking etc who is playing for his/her own benefit & the involvement of people is so immense that people forget all other things & knowing that they are not going to gratify anything from the outcome but they still feel the urge to be obliged by a sportsperson. Roger Federer, Tiger Woods, Maria Sharapova, The Williams sisters, LeBron James, David Beckham, Ronaldo etc. are the world's wealthiest athletes because of endorsements which come from their public acceptability. A fan knows that he/she won't get a single penny or any other benefit from it but what he/she will get will be far more than to be measured monetarily - the peace of mind, the feeling of caring for someone; again our basic instinct to not be left alone in the crowd of billions. In turn, players experience a mammoth pressure to satisfy their fans. The crowd obliges with roars & claps. The fan takes away the satisfaction that he/she gets.

“The person who tries to live alone will not succeed as a human being. His heart withers if it does not answer another heart. His mind shrinks away if he hears only the echoes of his own thoughts and finds no other inspiration.” - Pearl Buck

As humans, we always try to draw parallels to our lives with our surroundings - it makes us feel normal & somewhat cared. Emotions - the unique gift that separates us from other beings in the world. We're obligated to care & to be cared, to love & to be loved, likewise. Who wants to listen to their criticism. We all hope to lead & leave our lives on our own terms. But sometimes things don't happen the way we plan it for they have plans of their own! We've pets, we appreciate the beauty of the nature(because we know we didn't create it, think!!), weddings & funerals are attended by a plenty. Only the ones who have passed the test of time knows the importance of oneself. The world might weep or pamper someone for a day or even a year(tops) but not till eternity. It is the one in agony or zeal who experiences that the world might show you the door but the step must always be ours. 

On the whole, like I said before, no one wants to be left behind/alone - everyone hopes to care & love others & expects the same. Perhaps if this underrated notion were a bit more emphasized & learned today then the world would have been a much more pleasant place to live in. Thus, even in the assembly of 7+ bn people - we constantly feel alone & often discarded. Ultimately, the feeling of loneliness only manifests itself when we let our minds wander the dangerous alley of darkness. Ponder over the things I've raised abstrusely & you'll have an experience of a lifetime for loneliness is a matter of perspective & how can we ever be alone when we have ourselves! 

THINK..!!

“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