Friendship and Common Causes

When the Surgeon General issued a statement calling loneliness and isolation an epidemic, it caused me to notice people around me and wonder if they felt lonely. My street is the epitome of community. We talk to each other and help out in times of need. I could write pages about how much I love my neighbors! But then I think about a few friends who have devoted their lives to spouses or jobs, which they no longer have. Many, if not all of them, seem to be looking for something they don’t think they’ll ever find. I have wondered in these writing why people don’t reach out to each other, why we don’t band together in friendship and common causes, what might we be afraid of in opening ourselves to others? I’m not sure I have any more answers now than when I last addressed this issue, but I do know more people are talking about the subject and finding avenues to help bring us together. I’m also thinking of days past when I may have felt lonely myself, and identifying reasons this is no longer my plight. I don’t feel separated from anyone or anything I love. And I’m no longer putting limitation on where that love can flow. And so, friends, my prayer for today is that we can be honest with ourselves and reach out to others when we need them or they need us. Namaste…

“Let him no more be lonely, for the lonely ones are those who see no function in the world for them to fill; no place where they are needed, and no aim which only they can perfectly fulfill.”
—A Course in Miracles T-25.VI.3:6

“Would existence without personal friends be to you a blank? Then the time will come when you will be solitary, left without sympathy; but this seeming vacuum is already filled with divine Love. When this hour of development comes, even if you cling to a sense of personal joys, spiritual Love will force you to accept what best promotes your growth.”
—Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 266:6-12