Some of the social comparisons we make on social media fuels hate-reading and other toxic behaviors. This breeds hard feelings and emotions which we allow to run their course and pass through our meditations and actions. Despite the growth of technology, the knife of loneliness from modern life continues to sharpen.
Loneliness could simply be defined as being without a company. However the condition is more complex than just sitting in a room alone. According to authors Preplan and Daniel Perlman, loneliness is the discrepancy between one’s desired level of social contacts and what they actually achieve. One can experience loneliness when they are surrounded by friends, colleagues, children or even spouses.
The issue of self-concept comes to play. Where do we derive meaning of existence from- friends, parents, or do we have a personal sense of self- worth? Have we conquered our inborn sense of inferiority complex which leaves us feeling incredibly less important and deserving than others; helpless, hopeless and unmotivated to strive for the superiority that would make us complete? Do I believe that “I absolutely must, under all conditions, do important tasks well and be approved by significant others or else I am an inadequate and unlovable person?” Or rather, am I engulfed in a cocoon of conditions of worth which are terms on which I receive approval from significant others? Is my position that of “Conditions under which I live must give me immediate gratification or else it is awful, I can’t stand them, and it is impossible for me to be happy at all!?” Do I use an internal point of reference as long as my identity is concerned or do I have some values of others which I use to evaluate me? Do I ignore my own needs at the expense of satisfying others?
Those are some of the questions we can intensively and candidly answer ourselves if we want to be free from cyber bullying and all manner of online competitions that sap our esteem leaving us feeling wretched and hollow. It’s appalling that technology is meant to bring people together but in the real sense it is creating a wider gap! Mysteriously, loneliness appears most prevalent among millennials. Let’s create more meaningful social relations and not be consumed in the trap of social media comparisons.
