Fighting Alienation

In a fragmented modern world where time for each other is ‘virtual’ and the rat race is ‘reality’, alienation has got the better of the vulnerable. These meek individuals can be anyone – married, single, old, or teenagers. They take time off to party or meet over a cup of coffee. But most of the time they come in exhausted, leaving little space for communication, thus hampering the process of building a stronger bond. Also the world is more real in the cyberspace, where interaction with multiple individuals, leaves little scope for true love and friendship.

In today’s scenario, the world affected by economic crisis is creating more and more of once well-established professionals into a jobless lot. They are struggling to maintain a decent life and keep their family from getting disoriented. The element of insecurity cripples them and they resort to withdrawal for their comfort. The desire to connect remains unfulfilled and in the meantime a sense of emptiness and loneliness grips them.

At such a time, with little help and support, there are a few who are gradually alienating themselves from the otherwise beautiful world of theirs.  

This happens especially if the individual is one who believes in the perfectness of things – perfect friend, perfect product, and perfect service. Perhaps by being extremely sensitive and diligent one tends to be a mismatch in this society.

Then the question remains: You have everything and everyone, but why still alone? Studies have shown that feeling lonely can be a healthy emotion and choosing to be alone or being in solitude can be enriching indeed.

However, experiencing loneliness is to feel overwhelmed by an unbearable feeling of separateness at a profound level, which can manifest in feelings of abandonment, rejection, depression, insecurity, anxiety, hopelessness, unworthiness and meaninglessness.

If ignored, they may cause hindrance and serve to prevent development of healthy relationships and lifestyles. Gradually this leads to alienation – a feeling of separation or isolation.

According to sociologists, alienation refers to the individual’s estrangement from traditional community and others in general. That is, in the present world where the society is not close knit, individual relationships become shallower.

Indeed, we can withstand the situation for some time. Yet, we cannot battle it out always.

May be to some extent with the advancement of technology the human element has started taking a backseat. In such a world, often it is the impersonal voice of a customer care service or the friends at the cyberspace who gives the much needed company as you get alienated from everything and everybody around.

The life becomes so mechanical that at some point of time the desire to be known and the feeling of being wanted makes us press Ctrl+Alt+Del just as we can do with a computer. Is it that alienation is a state we want to be but cannot be in?

It is a deeply individual feeling and no human being would feel alienated if indexed to self-esteem, self-belonging, self-worth and such other. But it is necessary to ensure that once smitten by such feelings we should not surrender to it.

The world-hit by economic slowdown has knowingly or unknowingly united people who lost their jobs into one big group. The common situation of loans and drained savings, disturbed family relations, and withdrawal from social networking is the onset of new age man who is happy to be in the world that technology has created. At least they can escape from the ugly reality for the time being. But losing a job is just a passing phase and so is alienating oneself.

The day we are able to detach the stigma surrounding a ‘failure’ and ‘what would people think’ attitude, the gravity of being alienated can be overcome. The best then would be to support them and help them speak out. If this does not work, help them seek professional counseling. If you happen to be in one such situation, before reaching a point of being alienated or succumbing to loneliness, get yourself occupied in things that you love to do best. It can be a social networking site or a club or a hobby class, or even play with your pet. Feeling alienated is not an end. The day this is realised you can begin your life afresh.

Watch Out

Experiencing low self esteem

Feeling estranged in a crowd

Feelings of being either superior or inferior to the surrounding

Feeling reluctant to make changes or try new things

Feeling upset about why no one knows how isolated you are

Feeling empty, depressed and in extreme cases suicidal tendencies