Solitario

This word means lonely. . . .

Today I experienced a new sense of loneliness today.  His name was Jose and he was a Freshman.  I was amazed after I saw him the second time, marveled when i saw him the fourth and blown away when I saw him the seventh.  I couldn't believe it; he was walking laps around the square-like education building as he progressed up each level.  Saying hello to a few people but never staying for more than a few moments.  I was so intrigued that I just had to talk to him.  As Oscar and I talked to him about life, spirituality, future and motivation I could see that he was genuinely seeking a companion, a listener, a community, a friend.

So as I saw him walk away, again, with his overly large headphones incarcerating him in solitude I couldn't help but wonder, "How many people do we pass daily that are in the same condition?"  Are the people I work with lonely, are the people I pass in the streets, are my friends, AM I?  How much our communities will change if we actually cared how others felt and become so wrapped in thinking of others first that the term 'lonely' slowly drifts away and people will actually live within community and not just among communities?  

Thank you Jose, I will look forward to seeing you again and perhaps talking further and maybe, just maybe, becoming your friend.