THE OLD LADY AND ANA - LOVE YOUR ENEMY

LIFE WITH THE OLD LADY AND ANA
7. MATTHEW 5:43-48 LOVE YOUR ENEMY

Editor’s Note: This is the seventh of several short stories dealing with my personal interpretation of selected verses from the Holy Bible offered under

the title “The Old Lady and Ana”.

Little Ana sat quietly next to her father in front the television. It was 6.30pm and the NBC Nightly News had just begun. Once again, as he had done last night and the night before, Brian Williams began by reporting about the war in Iraq and Afghanistan and the destruction caused by the enemy. He then went on to report about the condition of the enemy prisoners held in Guantanamo Bay.
Ana got up and went directly to her Grandmother who was absorbed in the scarf she was knitting.

“Gramma”, she asked, “Everybody is saying we should hate our enemies because they are killing our soldiers. Is that true? ”

The old lady, sensing a genuine concern in her grand-daughter’s voice, put down her knitting and beckoned Ana to sit next to her. She paused for a moment to collect her thoughts and then as she picked up her bible said:

“My dear Ana, yes it is true that most people still hate their enemies and prefer them to be punished or killed because of what they believe, or what they do. But that is not what God teaches, or expects from us. We do this because we do not have the courage or strength to be true Christians and follow his words and his example. In fact if you check the bible Jesus specifically commented on this problem in this way: (Reading from Matthew5:43)

You have heard that it was said,
'Love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.'

“He was referring to the teachings of the Pharisees and the Scribes who were the leaders of the Jews. They taught, as we still do presently, that all enemies and evil doers must be punished and as a result of this, the community was consumed in hatred and retribution. But Jesus rejected this outright and said so in these terms:”

But I tell you: Love your enemies
and pray for those who persecute you,
that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.

“You notice Jesus very clearly stated that you must love your enemy and even went further by advising you to pray for those who persecute you. This is the exact opposite of what the Pharisees were doing. This must have surprised the audience a great deal, but you see Jesus was telling us that this is what God expected of us, and that if we really wanted to be true Christians, true children of God, we are obligated to do so”.

Ana, somewhat stunned by this revelation looked intently at her grandmother and with the innocence and simplicity of her tender age, asked:

“Do you mean that God wants us to love everybody in the same way. That we must love and pray for everybody, even though they don’t like us or want to hurt us. How could that be right or fair?”

Anticipating this, the old lady quickly answered by reading the next verse:

He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good,
and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

“God does not make a difference between good and bad. We are all his children and God loves us all in the same way. When Christ died on the cross for our sins, he made no discrimination between anyone of us, he forgave us all. In fact, if you remember, he forgave a thief who was crucified next to him and promised him a place in heaven. God’s love is infinite, it has no boundaries. That is what this verse is saying. The sun will rise and the rain will fall whether we are good or bad, or we are right or wrong. It makes no difference to God’s love, he will treat us the same”.

The old lady paused for a short while to allow Ana to assimilate the information, and continued to read:

If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?
Are not even the tax collectors doing that?
And if you greet only your brothers,
what are you doing more than others?
Do not even pagans do that?

“God is very clear about what he expects from us. He said what good is it if we only love those who love us. Even the taxpayers, who in those days were considered the worst, do the same. And again, are you doing any better if you only greet your brother, even the non-believers do this. He wants you to make no distinction, your love must be even and universal”.

Ana, with both hands cupping her face and eyes wide open in disbelief, exclaimed:
“Wow gramma! God expects so much from us!”

The old lady responded by nodding her head in confirmation as she continued reading:

Be perfect therefore,
as your heavenly Father is perfect.

“You are correct, If we are true followers and true believers then we must recognize that by dying for us, God has earned us the right to be like him. In the same way that he forgave all and unconditionally loves all in a perfect way, he expects us to be perfect. We have no excuses, if we want to be a true Christian then our love must be without condition or boundaries”.

Breathing a deep sigh of relief, Ana stood up, thanked her grandmother and as she walked away, she looked directly at the television and said in a firm and determined voice:

“I only wish someone would remind Brian Williams to stop talking only about how we should punish our enemies and start thinking about how God expects us to treat them”.

LIVING WITH RIGIDITY

“For as long as I can remember, I have taken great pride in being

a man of principle, whose word is his bond. Whatever I did was always

measured by the principle of doing the “right thing”, irrespective of my own

personal feelings or the resulting consequences. It did not matter that

my action sometimes caused negative results, sometimes with

undesirable consequences, often affecting me as much as it affected others.

What mattered was that “I did it the right way”.

These words were spoken by a very good friend and colleague, now deceased, who lived all his life guided by this principle and to quote his own words, “damn proud of it”. He was one of the most genuine, loyal and trustworthy persons I have ever had the good fortune to meet, and one whose face and words I recall on a daily basis. I have learnt a great deal from him and much of what I do and say is related to no small extent, to my relationship with him.
Yet, having said that, I unhesitatingly reject a great deal of what he did, how he did it and particularly, what he stood for. During all the years I have known him, there was an on-going debate between us and despite my every attempt to correct him, I never succeeded to persuade him of the folly of his logic. To the very end, we always agreed to disagree. You see, my friend was a man of such rigid ideation to almost qualify for a title of Pathological Rigidity.

Rigid personalities are recognized by a series of easily identified characteristics;
-They view opinions and values other than theirs as wrong, not different.
-They appear as arrogant, uncompromising, egotistic, righteous, unyielding and authoritarian people. They are often called bigoted, prejudiced or zealots by others.
-They often view others who disagree with them with varying degrees of suspicion, fear, avoidance or rejection, often making every effort to avoid them as much as they can.
-They have great difficulty in hearing or listening to other opinions, often blocking them out.
-They tend to adopt an attitude of stating "the absolute truth”, rather than discuss options or possibilities.
-When forced by circumstances, they only pretend to agree or to tolerate, but will not be willing to accommodate.
-Above all they will deny, reject or minimize these traits, or try to justify their actions when challenged, or absolutely refuse to discuss them entirely.

I have no doubt that any one of us will have no difficulty to identify one or more people within our circle having some or all of these traits, since they invariably stand out above the rest. They are visible in all areas of life and are easily recognized by their insistence, by word and by deed, that they are always right and equally, by their resistance to consider alternatives.

That not withstanding, these people are in fact surprisingly quite successful in that they are able to expend more effort and energy directed to completing the task at hand, without being concerned about what others think. Many of society’s political and business leaders owe their success to their ability to draw upon this aspect of their personality. They are often described by such terms as single minded, all consuming and head strong, and in fact, it is precisely this characteristic that makes them so successful. They are able to relentlessly and compulsively attend to the minute details that are necessary to maintain efficiency and as such, are the backbone of any operation. No large or complex institution can survive and prosper without a fair share of these people in the workforce. They are to a large extent, the engine of productivity, without whom no institution, government or organization can survive.

However, a smaller percentage of these people exhibit a degree of rigidity that can be quite intense and sometimes extreme. These are the candidates who find great difficulty to cope with the more flexible, less organised and less demanding social establishment, and as a result they encounter great resistance and rejection and find difficulty in acceptance or assimilation.

They include the Ultra-religious type, whose whole life is consumed by the strict codes of his religion. Consider the ultra-orthodox Rabbi who will not touch the hand of a woman, because she might be “unclean”, or the ultra-conservative Christian who views everyone else as suspect of being “the Anti-Christ”, or the Conservative Muslim who insists that women be covered fully by a “Burkha”. They and their groups inevitably end up being labeled as bigots or zealots, viewed with suspicion, and ostracized to the periphery.

There are also a large number of people whose ideas are at variance from the generally accepted standards. Because of their rigidity and their unwillingness to accommodate or to compromise, they have difficulty in gaining acceptance. These are society’s Loners, Oddballs, and Anti-socials, who drift to and inhabit the periphery. They tend to get into trouble and often find themselves singled out by law enforcement. These people are often quite talented and have a great deal to contribute but are prevented from doing so by their innate rigidity.

And there is the very large block of people with lesser degrees of rigidity, who are able to remain in society’s mainstream by learning to mask or suppress their tendencies in order to achieve acceptance. They survive by avoiding confrontation or with-holding comment. Because of their natural tendencies of loyalty, perseverance and commitment, they are often the most popular and sought after members of the group and gain respect and recognition for their services. Despite their innate tendencies, they become the backbone of their society as my collegue achieved at the time of his untimely demise.

THE LAST TAXI RIDE

Editor’s Note:

The following was sent to me by my sister. I don’t know

the source, but the story and the message was so powerful that

I felt it is worthy of wider dissemination without comment.

It was just after 4.00 pm when I arrived at the address and honked the horn. After waiting a few minutes, I walked to the door and knocked... 'Just a minute', answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor. After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940's movie. By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets. There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.
'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, and then returned to assist the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb. She kept thanking me for my kindness. 'It's nothing', I told her, 'I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated'.
'Oh, you're such a good boy', she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address and then asked, 'Could you please drive through downtown?' 'It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly. 'Oh, I don't mind,' she said, 'I'm in no hurry, I'm on my way to a hospice'.
I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. 'I don't have any family left,' she continued in a soft voice, 'The doctor says I don't have very long.'
I quietly reached over and shut off the meter and asked her, 'What route would you like me to take?'
For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator. We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing with him, as a girl. Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner, and she would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.
As the first hint of the sun creasing the horizon appeared, she suddenly said, 'I'm tired. Let's go now'.
We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico. Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her. I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair. 'How much do I owe you?' she asked, reaching into her purse. 'Nothing,' I said. 'You have to make a living,' she protested. 'There are other passengers,' I responded.
Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly. 'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,' she said. 'Thank you.' I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dimming evening light. Behind me, a door shut; ….It was the sound of the closing of a life.
I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly, lost in thought, for the rest of that day. I could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift, or what if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once then driven away!
On review, I don't think that I have ever done anything more important in my life. We're conditioned to expect that our lives revolve around great moments which come to us in beautiful packages. But sometimes even greater moments very often catch us unaware, and come wrapped in what others may consider a nuisance package.

PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID, OR WHAT YOU SAID,
BUT THEY WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL.

LIFE WITH THE OLD LADY AND ANA- THE BEATITUDES

Editor’s Note: This is the fifth of several short stories dealing with my personal interpretation of selected verses from the Holy Bible offered under the title “The Old Lady and Ana”.


LIFE WITH THE OLD LADY AND ANA (5)
MATTHEW 5:1-12 (The Beatitudes)

It was a beautiful Sunday morning. little Ana, wearing her pretty blue dress that her mother bought for her, had just returned from attending morning mass with her family. As they entered their home, Ana grasped her grandmother’s hand and gently tugging it, asked her, in all sincerity,

“Gramma why was the priest telling everyone may God bless you?”

The old lady beckoned Ana to come sit at the table next to her and opening her trusted bible at Matthew’s Gospel, chapter 5, she said:

“Listen to what God said when he addressed the people and his disciples from the top of a mountain about his blessings”.

She slowly read:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”

Little Ana looked perplexed and confused,
“What does poor in spirit mean?” she asked.

The old lady replied:

“Poor in spirit refers to people who are humble, gentle and caring. They are the ones who do not hesitate to help others, who give of themselves and do not ask for anything in return. These are the people who will be welcome in heaven”.

Ana seemed to be satisfied with the answer, so the old lady continued reading:

”Blessed are those who mourn,

for they shall be comforted”.

Raising her eyes, the old lady looked at the startled face of the little girl:

“You see Ana, the second blessing is for all those people who mourn or feel sorry for whatever reason. Mourning does not only mean the loss of a loved one. It also includes those who hurt for, or feel the suffering of others or who are sorry for their own sins and transgressions. All of those will receive God’s comfort".

The old lady paused for a second and then continued to read the third blessing:

“Blessed are the meek,

for they shall inherit the earth”.

“I think I know this one gramma”, Ana interjected, “If you are good you will be happy on earth”

The old lady smiled and added:

“Yes Ana, you are correct. But it also includes all those people who are gentle and kind even in the face of adversity. Who live with peace and love for all, friends and enemies alike. These are the people who bring peace to the world.”

Little Ana nodded knowingly and listened eagerly as her grandmother proceeded:

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they shall be filled”.

The old lady said:

“This simply says that all those people who spend their lives searching out and doing the right things in life, such as honesty, goodness, truth and love will achieve full satisfaction”.

Reading on, the old lady spoke with a tone of confidence in her voice:

“Blessed are the merciful,

for they shall obtain mercy”.

“This is my favorite beatitude. Being merciful means being willing to show kindness, compassion, understanding and forgiveness to our neighbors and the people of the world, and doing everything you can to relieve distress and suffering. This is the only way to bring peace in your life and in the world and God will reward you in kind".

Ana promptly sat up and, as if suddenly inspired, looked intently at the old lady’s face and said:

“Gramma, is that why you always say ‘Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”

The old lady nodded her head in agreement and continued:

“Blessed are the pure in heart,

for they shall see God”.

“Pure of heart means to be free of any selfish desires or jealousy or scheme to take advantage of others. It means approaching everything with pure love and free from personal gain. In your life you will get to know of a few of these people like Mother Teresa and St. Francis of Assisi and they will inspire you as they have inspired me”.

Ana, jumped up out of her chair, hugged her grandmother tightly and whispered;

"Gramma you are pure of heart, I know that”.

Smiling gently, the old lady continued:

“Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they shall be called sons of God”.

“Peacemakers are not people who are peaceful and avoid problems. But they are people whose hearts are full of peace and love and who spend there lives bringing peace and love to others. They are doing God’s work and that is why they are called children of God”.

Closing her eyes in silent prayer, the old lady then turned to Ana and said:

“This last blessing is meant for all of us, listen":

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you,
and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for My sake.
Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven,
for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you”.

Ana was confused and baffled and with her hands outstretched, asked:

“But gramma, I don’t understand what you mean. No one persecutes me, why should this worry me?

The old lady held Ana’s hand firmly and said:

“Ana, throughout your life people will try to ridicule you or embarrass you to make you believe what they want you to believe, or do what they want you to do. They will lie or make up false stories or even persecute you. But you must remain honest and steadfast and stand by your beliefs. Always believe, like the prophets of the past, your final reward is the Kingdom of Heaven. That is God’s promise and his blessing”.

Ana, smiling broadly and visibly relieved, kissed her grandmother and as she ran off, she shouted at the top of her voice:

“AMEN! AMEN!, Thank you God for Gramma!”

LIVING WITH HATE

“Hate crimes rend the fabric of our society and fragment communities because they target a whole group and not just the individual victim. Hate crimes are committed to cause fear to a whole community. A violent hate crime is intended to “send a message” that an individual and “their kind” will not be tolerated, many times leaving the victim and others in their group feeling isolated, vulnerable and unprotected”.

This statement contained in the introductory comment of the Human Rights Campaign document on Hate Crimes eloquently describes the true impact of hate on a society. With the increasing incidence of both the varieties and numbers of these episodes, the world is indeed in a state of great turmoil and uncertainty.

Hate is described as an emotion of intense revulsion, dislike, animosity, antagonism or antipathy for a person, a group, a belief or a phenomenon with the accompanying desire to avoid, restrict, remove or destroy it and its influence. At its worse, it is an all-consuming obsessive feeling of dislike so strong that it demands action at all cost, without regard to the loss or to the pain and suffering resulting to oneself or to the victim.

For as long as there has been recorded history, hate crimes have played a dominat role among people of the world. In fact it would be correct to state that hate has been the major force in shaping and defining world history, and continues to do so to this day. Major examples of this abound in the past, such as the Roman Persecution of the Christians, the Ottoman genocide of the Armenians, the Nazi holocaust of more than 6 million Jews, the Ethnic cleansing in Bosnia and the genocide of Rwandans. Equally important has been the wanton and senseless destruction of life and property on the basis of Religious, Political and Sectarian beliefs. Historians will have no difficulty to establish that all of the major conflicts throughtout history were started and were maintained as a result of one form or another of hate.

The world is consumed by mutual distrust and hatred. It is indeed a very sad commentary on humanity, that a few extreme members can succeed in engendering such intense hatred and distrust that the world is caught in a deadly turmoil with unacceptable destruction of life and property. It is easy to blame all the turmoil on the basis of religion amd religious beliefs. Some Christians talk about the “Antichrist” as the reason to justify hatred of the Moslem nations, while Moslems reply with “Satan” to explain their position. It is an abomination, but nevertheless true, that all of this results from a relative few extremists on either side influencing the thought and actions of the majority.

Psychologists generally agree that the emotion of Hate plays a dominant role in self-preservation, one that is exclusive to the human species and never ever seen in the rest of the animal kingdom. It is passed on from generation to generation and from parent to child. Hate is used as a cement to bind groups, whether family, religion or social, under a common umbrella and thus ensure its survival. In fact the stronger units have been able to grow in size and importance by successfully encouraging strong hatred toward others among its membership.
From the beginning of time, leaders have used Hate as a stong weapon to reinforce their status and popularity. Great leaders are not remembered for their success in encouraging love and respect among all people and in rejecting the concept of hate, but they are more often measured by how effective they are able to use hate to achieve power. History remembers Stalin and Hitler and Atilla solely because of their ability to motivate their people to conquer the world using hate as the sole weapon.

In the same way, the world forgets the message of peace and love to all people delivered by the great leaders of religion, including Jesus Christ, The Prophet Mohammed, The Dalai Lama, or Brahman. This constant message is contained in all the great books of Religion, including The Holy Bible, The Holy Koran, The Talmud, The Tripitaka or The Vedas. Instead however, the world remembers the words of those “prophets” who preached, and continue to preach, in every country and in every society, hatred and distrust among religions and even among subsections of the same religion. Is it any surprise that we find ourselves living in a world of wars and terror and suspicion and unnecessary death, destruction and suffering on people and families and nations without any apparent end.

And even among us as individuals, hate permeates our very existance. On any day or time somewhere around us, we witness some manifestation of hate, whether it be against another person’s personal opinion, sexual preference, color of skin, physical appearance or ethnic choice. Most of the time we grudgingly tolerate the action without expressing any comments, but very rarely do we admit it to being wrong, and certainly, even less, attempt to take steps to correct it.
What kind of society will;

…. tolerate death threats against a politician who votes in favor of
health care reform?
…or write threatening graffitti on the front door of a Synagogue?
…or bomb the home of a protester?
…or attack and almost kill a homeless person?
…or ridicule and embarrass a homosexual?
The answer to all of these questions, and many, many more, is simply, Our Society.

We should be ashamed of it!

LIFE WITH LONELINESS

Khalil Gibran, , in his book, A Second Treasury, a brilliantly written observation on life, very accurately and beautifully described the true role of loneliness in the context of living, in the following manner:

"Life is an island in an ocean of loneliness.
An island whose rocks are hopes, whose trees are dreams,
whose flowers are solitude, and whose brooks are thirst.
Your life, my fellow men, is an island separated from other islands and regions.
No matter how many are the ships that leave your shores for other climes,
no matter how many are the fleets that touch your coast, you remain a solitary island, suffering the pangs of loneliness and yearning for happiness.
You are unknown to your fellow man and far removed from their sympathy and understandings”

Loneliness is a state of feeling cut off from, and longing for others, as a result of a lack of physical or emotional contact with people, whether they are acquaintances, friends, or loved ones. It is not to be confused with Solitude or Being alone, where the individual voluntarily chooses solitary isolation for personal reasons or is involuntarily placed in a state of isolation.

Being alone can be a very positive and rewarding experience, especially when used as a time of reflection, contemplation and self-evaluation, and can often lead to personal growth and enhancement. But Loneliness is a totally different state of affairs. The profound feelings of isolation and rejection, the pain of losing contact and social network and the inability to communicate with others can lead to intense feelings of inadequacy, anxiety and depression, and can seriously compromise physical and mental well-being.

Loneliness is a universal human response. None of us are immune from episodes of loneliness and I am sure anyone of us will have no difficulty in readily identifying instances of loneliness that have left indelible effects on our psyche. It has no single cause, nor does it respect age, sex, intellectual ability or socioeconomic status. It is complex and unique to the individual, and has a strong correlation to underlying personality and psychological characteristics.
Whatever the cause, it is vitally important that immediate and urgent steps be taken to correct or reduce its impact. Every effort must be made to educate people on the early recognition, correction and prevention of this damaging state of mind. People in this state tend to feel increasingly empty and unwanted. Although they recognize the need for human contact, their state of mind actually makes it more difficult to do so and as a result they run an increased risk of developing serious health and mental problems.

Loneliness exists all around us. We see it in our friends and family, among our neighbors and strangers and read about it in our books and newspapers. Unfortunately, although we all have no difficulty to recognizing it and all its sequellae, yet it is rare that we are able to help others to successfully deal with its consequences.

Over the many years of my practice, I have seen loneliness present itself in all its many and varied faces. I have seen it in children, manifesting itself as apathy, withdrawal, as eating and bowel disorders, and even as aggressive and anti-social behavior. Some experts suggest that
Autism is merely an extreme manifestation of Loneliness.

Among adolescents, loneliness may well be the most common underlying factor in a large number of behavioral problems encountered. This is not surprising when one considers the enormous conflicts to which they are exposed and the ridiculous demands of our “modern” society. Often the consequences may be tragic as was the recent case of a young girl who was driven to committing suicide as a result of peer pressure and isolation. This situation is certainly not improved by the appearance of such popular community sites as Facebook and Twitter where loneliness becomes “hidden in public view”.

In adulthood and to a larger extent, among seniors, the problems of loneliness wreak havoc among the individuals and their families. With the added burdens associated with socio-economic distress, severe health problems and loss of life-long partners the incidence of loneliness and the resulting health and emotional deterioration become dominant and the resulting suffering, overwhelming. Is it any surprise that loneliness is often referred to as “The Scourge for all seasons”?

In this context, I am reminded of the observation and advice given by one of Britain’s greatest philosopher, historian, logician, mathematician and social critic who has ever lived, Sir Bertrand Arthur William Russell, who died in 1970 at the age of 97 years old. He wrote:

“Nature did not construct human beings to stand alone.
Those who have never known the deep intimacy
and intense companionshipof happy mutual love
have missed the best thing that life has to give.
Love is the principal means of escape from loneliness,
which afflicts most men and women
throughout the greater part of their lives”.


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All the Lonely People, where do they all come from?
……..John Lennon and Paul McCartney

People are lonely because they build walls instead of bridges.
…….Joseph F. Newton

Loneliness is not a fault, but a Condition of Existence.
…….Ivan Albright

Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty.
…….Mother Teresa

The surest cure for Vanity is Loneliness.
…….Thomas Wolfe

You cannot be alone, if you like the person you are alone with.
…….Wayne Dyer

Nothing is more lamentable and sterile than a man content to live alone.
….Harold Pinter

Loneliness shows us what should be;
Society shows us what we are.
……..Robert Cecil

What Loneliness is more lonely, than Distrust?
…….T. S. Eliot