Being Alone vs Being Lonely
There is a difference between being alone and being lonely. Wait a minute! Are not being alone and being lonely one and the same thing? Do you not feel lonely when you are alone but feel happy when you are in between people you know? Well, to be frank, this was true at least in old times when people had time for leisure and social activities. People visited friends and relatives and knew what was going on in their surroundings. That was a time when being alone was considered a type of punishment and sending people to live their life in prisons made on islands was considered a harsh punishment. However, times have changed and with all the advancement and materialism, we have restricted our social activities to playing with all the modern gadgets and talking to friends we have on social networking sites rather than going out with friends in the city.
What does Being Alone mean?
Being alone is a situation while being lonely can be known as a feeling. When a person is alone that means the person is by himself or herself. Also, being alone does not necessarily brings unhappiness. Being alone can be a choice someone makes.
What does Being Lonely mean?
Being lonely is a feeling. Economic development has forced people to migrate from their rural surroundings and smaller towns to large cities in search of greener pastures. Though they do get better jobs and more money at their disposal, they now live in apartments where they hardly know their neighbors. This has led to a situation where people, despite not being alone, feel more and more lonely. They are lonely because of their social circle that is shrinking at a fast pace. Today people prefer to chat with unknown people on the net than giving a call to their real friends with the result that they are feeling lonelier than ever. This is why we see a proliferation of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.
What is the difference between Being Alone and Being Lonely?
The feeling of loneliness is also not felt by everyone on the same level. There are people who say that reading their favorite books is just great and they do not feel lonely as their books are their companions. On the other hand, you can find people who, despite living in the midst of their family members may feel lonely and remain depressed. Thus, loneliness is a feeling that some people feel much more than others.
• Being alone and being lonely are two related but quite different concepts.
• Being alone is situation where there is no one around you while being lonely is a feeling.
• One can be all alone and not fee loneliness whereas some people may feel lonely despite being in the midst of their family and friends.]
• There was a time when living alone was considered as a form of punishment whereas today people are living alone in apartments out of their own volition and facing loneliness.
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