Do people who describe themselves as loners ever feel lonely?
I love my own time, space and solitude and I rarely, if ever, feel lonely. In fact, being with people drains me of energy instead of my being energized by them. However, what is more of a problem and what I feel more often is society’s negative & fearful views about people who are happy and fine being on their own and don’t need the presence of others to be OK. This is especially so in the modern workplace, where the chanting mantra of “TEAM” has been gradually inculcated into the workforce with almost religious zeal and adherence of this “philosophy” is now “expected” of those who are in or who now join the workforce. Anyone who show any signs of not being “A TEAM PLAYER” are dispensed with as soon as possible, if they are not weeded out before they are hired. I know why this thinking has been institutionalized into our workplace and its down to ensuring more profit is made. The world is made up of all kinds of folk and “personality cleansing” makes for a less interesting world. There
I think there are some self-described loners that feel lonely and have come to accept themselves as loners because despite wanting to do so, they can’t comfortably get along well with others. Of course, those guys are just posers! 😉 Then there are some genuine loners. I consider myself one, and so does my brother. Actually, I don’t think either of us would ever think to actively describe ourselves as loners – it’s only when the question arises that we might. It just comes natually to us to enjoy the solitude and being alone, and feel crowded around others. We both have friends (I more than him), but I try not to see them that often, and I’m terrible at returning phone calls, texts, or e-mails, and the friends that have stuck around have come to know (and even appreciate the low maintenance of it) that about me. I do think sometimes genuine loners can turn into “lonely loners” due to social pressure and indoctrination that it’s “weird” to enjoy being alone, and some lonely loners may
