The Loneliness In a Crowd Full of People Paradox

In my last post, I discussed the downsides of being alone. I briefly mentioned the idea of feeling alone in a crowd full of people. I would like to elaborate on this paradox a little more. Think of a busy New York street. Crowds of people crossing every five minutes of the day. You are simply a tourist. You saved enough money to drive down and visit the area. You come across a street crossing and you stand with a group of people eager for the walk signal to turn on and cross to the other side. It is taking a bit longer than usual. You start to look around. Some people are on their phones, some are talking to their earbuds, some have headphones and are listening to music. Everyone seems so independent. You look at the person next to you. They seem relaxed, listening to the latest podcast by blah blah. You start to wonder about this person. They are a stranger. You don't know them, you don't know their life, their job, why they exist. You can communicate with this person if you wish, but social norms dictate random conversation with a stranger that you will probably never cross paths with again, as abnormal. With no means to reach out to this person, affect their life, or even convey an idea to them, you are alone. You look around slowly at everyone else. It is the same scenario. No one is in reach, they are not open to you, they are not waiting for you. Everyone is their own person, they have their own path, they have somewhere to be, they have a routine. You try and take comfort in the idea that there are probably other tourists waiting to cross the street, but you don't see any. The walk sign lights up and everyone begins to march forward to the other side of the street. You stop for a moment and you wait to cross with the next crowd.

Maybe you'll have better luck this time...

Expressed by: Oscar Mendieta