Wednesday, August 12, 2009

The Need to Belong

There is that uncanny feeling –

That you don’t belong here.

It is an odd feeling –

Being a perpetual alien; a perpetual outsider.

One knows one is at the wrong place –

When one talks “at a different frequency” to everyone else;

When their commonalities are never your commonalities;

When what they value and do is miles away from yourself;

When what they aspire to is a world away from you.


An odd feeling –

Of being alone.

Of being different

Of being a world apart.


Sure – one can get ‘used to it’;

But, it’s fair to say –

It’s by no means,

The ideal life to live –

Being a world away from others.


I don’t want to bother conform with people vastly different to me –

I would rather be by myself –

But still –

‘Tis a pity, really, that there are no others like me.


A lonely journey ‘tis – a lonely journey ‘tis.

Walking through this world alone.

Like a shadow, like a spectre.

An existence I am oh-so-used to, yet never really espouse.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

You're not alone. The other day someone told me I had no social skills and that there was nothing I could do about it. He said social skills were like height. When I tried to explain to him the reason for this lack of skill was social isolation and that this was due to my unique life experience and family background, he just said, "You just blame every one other than yourself. This conversation is over."

Despite lacking social skills myself I can see the lack of these skills in others. And it's always the same story. For some reason or another the person was unlike the kids he went to school with, he is socially isolated, and the isolation begets isolation.

Some of the differences which may lead to social isolation:
1. a birth defect.
2. a stutter.
3. abusive uncaring parents and the consequent shame
4. sexuality
5. poverty
6. obesity
7. race

The closest things I had to friends were the people who had no friends. I got along with them instantly, without even trying. In my case I grew up poor in a rich neighborhood. I couldn't bring anyone home. My father beat me. My parents were divorced. I was the subject of endless teasing and ridicule.