Hello, Nicks_Nose.

Aristotle:

“Man is by nature a social animal; an individual who is unsocial naturally and not accidentally is either beneath our notice or more than human. Society is something that precedes the individual. Anyone who either cannot lead the common life or is so self-sufficient as not to need to, and therefore does not partake of society, is either a beast or a god.”

Brene Brown:

“Because true belonging only happens when we present our authentic, imperfect selves to the world, our sense of belonging can never be greater than our level of self-acceptance.”

“I define connection as the energy that exists between people when they feel seen, heard, and valued; when they can give and receive without judgment; and when they derive sustenance and strength from the relationship.”

Albert Schweitzer:

"We are all so much together, but we are all dying of loneliness."

Michael Bader D.M.H.:

"More than half of Americans have no one with whom they share their troubles and joys. Studies of elderly people only underline this pattern more dramatically. Loneliness is not some soft existential problem of the “worried well.” Research about the health effects of social isolation concludes that those older adults without adequate social interaction were twice as likely to die prematurely. The increased mortality risk is comparable to that from smoking. Loneliness, in fact, is about twice as dangerous as obesity."

Decades ago, I was convinced people hurt people. I decided to live solitary and isolated. Not that long ago, a therapist told me I was a social retard; Aristotle's beast.

To escape from the effects of my choices took a lot of work. I will always be a work in process. Life always is.