Chastity And Loneliness

[Norseman82]

Interesting. There are a lot of people with our birthday. My brother was born on my biirthday in 1985, and our neighbor had a child on April 15, 1986. Ah, the tax day children.

My late uncle Stas was born on my birthday 43 years before I was born, and my cousin's daughter was born on my birthday last year.

My dad and two of his sisters were all born on Feb. 27, but different years.

[traichuoi]

okay so back to topic...

(BTW adeodatus, i'm a her )

Norseman, I agree with you that loneliness can be pushed too far in the sense that we dwell so much in the loneliness that it causes paralysis. But I think that's what Adeodatus is right in saying that there is a difference between being alone and loneliness. So that when we are alone, in order to draw away from loneliness we need to reach out.

I was just reflecting on this some more the past couple days and thought about Thomas Merton's Solitude (Aloneness) vs. Loneliness. He talks about how loneliness is something we need to draw away from but if we are in aloneness that is where God allows us to switch around our priorities. In switching around our priorities we are not looking to be needy as in loneliness, but we are looking for God to be the center of our spirituality. I believe when we are alone, that is what God is allowing us to do...to put Him at the center. By doing so, it makes reaching out to others so much easier.

I think there's something we must all fulfill in being alone...in a way, we need to learn how not to be needy with relationships or the such but being fulfilled or happy in being alone because we realize it is God in our lives first who we need. I believe only then when we are grounded in our own fulness of aloneness that we are healthy enough to be in dating relationships...and sometimes friendships so that we are not using the other person just to fulfill our neediness but that we are in a friendship that is not "using love" but "selfless love".

okay i've rambled enough...i don't even know if what i wrote makes sense. makes sense in my thoughts! :P