An astronaut was in space for a year and he recently returned. In the future, it will be even longer. If you're already a lonely guy (or girl) and you're used to not socializing, these long distance space travels will be easier. You have to be mentally strong though to face loneliness in outer space. It is a commitment. Some of these missions may last for many years. At that point, for these future astronauts, loneliness is a norm and a part of their life.
The psych evaluations that astronauts face are rigorous. It may not be that they are lonely, but quite the opposite, they know how to keep their sense of self and purpose in the face of loneliness.
There is a small population of people who live in isolation in the nature part of Alaska and I think in some ways, it's incredible. I actually have seen Alaska and it can be pretty surreal in an amazing way.
Even very wealthy senior citizens experience loneliness. I heard of these wealthy old ladies living in luxury homes and apartments but they were more like luxury solitary confinement centers. Their living quarters will be very nice but empty. Sometimes they go crazy and even get suicidal. I've read that before Nancy Reagan died, she had her TV on all day so she can hear human voices to quell her isolation. Even money can make you more isolated as you are stuck in your empty palace.
It can be very easy to be lonely in some of the massive cities like New York, Tokyo, Seoul and London. You may be in an area of millions and millions of people and of huge dense population but you're just another face in the crowd and nobody is paying attention to you. Yes, it can feel cold and even depressing despite the appeal of these places. Even though you are surrounded with people, no one is connecting with you. It's like being stranded in the ocean but you can't drink the salty water. Loneliness in big cities.
Is it appropriate to ask where you live? Or at least the kind of environment (city, town, barnyard, etc.) you live in? [Agreed with thread. I would have felt very lonely when I visited Chicago a few years ago had I not been with my parents!]
I went to Barrow a few years ago with my family. Very remote! Crazy prices, of course, because shipping, transportation, etc. is insanely costly. But I guess there's a shitton of oil or something up there, right? It all works out for them in the end.
Folks do all kinds of drugs there, especially when it gets dark for awhile, according to our tour guide. Our tour guide also said some(?) of his friends have committed suicide before due to depression, etc. due to utter darkness!
There are few people in Alaska who live in very deep isolation in a cabin. I mean in extreme remote areas where you can only get there by helicopter. If they want to eat meat, they have to shoot a moose. They have no tv or Internet and have very little idea what's going on in the world and pretty much no idea with current events. Once in a while, they will have some basic food supplies in bulk flown in with helicopter. They will have a generator to power some electricity for their radio communications if they really need to call a helicopter for whatever reason or emergency. They live in extreme isolation and have no contact with other people except for calling the helicopters for their needs.
I like the way you're describing several categories of loneliness, maybe you should just create a main thread and stick with it? I'm wondering what the next one will be thought.
