We all feel lonely from time to time. There’s definitely a reason that songs like “One (Is the Loneliest Number)” and “Everybody Hurts” still resonate today. Loneliness can really cripple our days and make us feel significantly drained and neglected. We can often feel like we don’t have a place to go. Even for the most introverted person, sometimes it can feel good just to be in someone else’s company. It can be a friend or family member or a significant other, but human connection can work wonders on a subpar day.

Writer Ana Recalt agrees with this line of thinking. In her address to fellow classmates as they graduated from Yale, she often looks for the “opposite of loneliness” and is comforted by feeling connected to a group of people, even when there isn’t anyone around. Our relationship with God works in the same sense. Even though we cannot feel God with our senses, we know that God is with us throughout our lives, no matter our situation.

Share this article and discuss how loneliness can affect young adults in their day-to-day routine:

• How did the article make you feel? Was Ana accurate in her description of “The Opposite of Loneliness”? Why or why not?
• Have you ever experienced this “opposite” before? Has it helped you cope with any of your feelings of loneliness?
• What advice would you give to a college senior or other young adult facing a transition to a new stage in life? What advice have others given to you that was helpful?