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Thursday, June 21, 2012

Alone: In a Library of People

I know this may seem cliche', but in a room full of people, I sometimes feel alone. The irony in such a statement is the fact that it holds so much truth. As I sit amongst the masses, I allow my eyes to wander. I bare witness to the people emerged in conversation. I witness the many others, physically alone, mingling with their eyes. I see the "populars", the life of the parties if you will and I realize how alone we really are. The experiences, tragedies, trials, tribulations, goods, and bads all has brought us to this brief moment in time. Though we are there, in the company of others, how together are we really? We are usually so engulfed in our own thoughts, our own motives, our futures, our past, that we are essentially alone in this room full of people. In this library of experience I scan the faces for their story. I search for the laughter in a wrinkle. The weight of the world on hunched shoulders. The trip ups of life in a limp. The wisdom of the soul through each individuals eyes. I read each detail like a personal synopsis to the story of their lives. So many untold stories in one room, makes me realize how small our world really is and how alone I really am. If only I could get the time to speak with each individual person. To learn their lives, to hear their stories. Then maybe I would feel a sense of connection. A sense of togetherness. As people we are so withdrawn from knowing one another on an intimate level. It baffles me to realize that people we have known for years, whom we consider friend, yet we couldn't tell one their dreams and aspirations, their fears. Sure we can tell you their favorite color, the city they were born in, maybe even who they are in a relationship with, but so can hundreds of their Facebook friends. To truly know someone is to know their story. The experiences that has shaped their lives and made them the person they are at this very moment. When you have gained this insight, been granted the opportunity to have this connection, maybe then in a room full of people, it won't seem so lonely.