If I am alone and do not enjoy it, am feeling lonely, I need to find some activity I do enjoy and pursue that.

I remember I had a book about the history of my local area and lent it to my father and he loved it as much as I did and we discussed it. But while I was reading it, I felt lonely that I had no one to explore the area with, to see where the history had been made, how it literally looked and seemed to me based on the book. I was lonely.

What I wished I had done now is share the book with someone I knew who could explore with me, ask a girlfriend to read the book and/or go driving/hiking with me (instead of waiting to be invited to drive/hike like I wanted to do) or I should have looked up local hiking groups and joined one or local history groups, etc. The best thing I did during my greatest period of loneliness was join the Friends of the Library group and get involved. I met several people who became friends and worked at activities I enjoyed with people I enjoyed and I was not lonely.

I believe when we are lonely there is always a possible corresponding activity that can help us with that feeling. If you would like someone to call when you are lonely, you first have to go out and make a friend who enjoys talking to you on the phone. All of us here enjoy engaging one another on this site so we post and respond to each other. That's no small realization, no meaningless, simple action! We don't just post "needy" posts, if we do, eventually people don't respond because we are not giving as well as getting. One cannot make a friend and just call them and not take calls from them or the friendship ends?

I have friends I have not talked to in person in months or years but I could call any of them and talk to them now if I needed to because our friendship is mutual, they know they could call me and I would be there for them.

Loneliness' purpose is that of a goad of sorts, an unpleasant sensation to get us up and moving and interacting with others.