Why Loneliness Isn’t Your Fault: On Genes, Alienation, and Hope
A deep dive into the overlooked factors causing loneliness — and what they can teach us about human connections
I’m so stupid. It’s all my fault. How could I let this happen to me?
My thoughts spun like a carousel as I walked along an empty beach, somewhere in the North of Portugal. Waves crashed into the shore like relentless soldiers storming sandcastles. Hungry seagulls screamed into the salty air. Grains of sand shimmered in the December sun.
A scenic stroll, no doubt. But even the most idyllic surroundings couldn’t compensate for my internal longing for connection, the gravitational pull of loneliness.
“Try to relax!” some friends and relatives told me on the phone when I tried to explain my struggles with living in Portugal. “You’re living the dream life. Enjoy it!”
But, of course, that’s not how it works. You can’t just move to a foreign country, expecting some higher-angled sunrays to melt away your problems. It hinges on the people you meet, the connections you make. I wanted to tell them this little insight. And yet, the words remained unsaid. Simply because I was anxious about seeming unappreciative of my situation, afraid of disagreeing, opening up…
