loneliness; tragical

Loneliness is at the American core, a by-product of a long-standing national appetite for independence:

The Pilgrims who left Europe willingly abandoned the bonds and strictures of a society that could not accept their right to be different. They did not seek out loneliness, but they accepted it as the price of their autonomy. The cowboys who set off to explore a seemingly endless frontier likewise traded away personal ties in favor of pride and self-respect. The ultimate American icon is the astronaut: Who is more heroic, or more alone? The price of self-determination and self-reliance has often been loneliness. But Americans have always been willing to pay that price.

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“Is Facebook making us Lonely?”- The Atlantic

loneliness- one of many topics that came up when meeting up with old friends over break. i'm always grateful for time spent with some childhood friends because i feel like friends that have known you that long have this deeper understanding of who you are as a person underneath the superficial appearance you may create. also, this break i realized and was blown away by how smart and thoughtful my group of friends from high school are. like i can casually have a deeply profound talk with any of them about life and faith and anything in between. i miss that.

i've been thinking about how nice it is to have meaningful conversations. not just that the topic at hand is meaningful but a conversation where the person(s) you are talking to are actively listening and not just waiting to chime in with their own opinion. am i the only one that thinks being contentious is a strange trend these days.