I've been thinking and having conversations about loneliness and isolation quite a bit lately. I always say that I've made a deal with loneliness, "I let it in, it keeps me company." but it's not always so simple.

I relate to what a close friend of mine was saying recently about how you can feel so completely alone at one moment surrounded by people, in the middle of a crowd, while at another moment feel completely connected while physically alone, say in the middle of the desert. I have good days and not so good days out here on the road. I never really get to that deep place of loneliness but there are days when talking to Moses just doesn't cut it. I can talk to him about bones, sticks, treats and walks.. but he gets this queer look in his eye when I delve into the subject of quantum physics.

My friend Ken Williams has given some great insights into our thoughts and feelings of isolation.

On loneliness in a crowd,

"Alone in a crowd, you are alienated by features of that crowd that you don't share: mood, intention, values, etc. Connected to 'people' when by yourself, you are connected to 'humanity' -- yours and theirs, what you know to be in people, in theory. An example is when you stand back and recognize your absolute and total love for your mother or father, only to be irritated by them when face to face on a given day, dealing with a particular issue. The thing to remember is that both are realities: the theory and the day to day practice. The one you can love and the other be irritated by. " - KW

Then we get into the realm of vulnerability, we've all had those moments where we see people exchange glances, do a little dance, but due to our egos and/or insecurities we don't engage. We let people slip by without acknowledging the commonality that has just passed between us, be it large or small. We let people go before we have even let them in. I think this is not only due to ego and insecurity but also frankly overpopulation. In a world approaching 7Billion there is no shortage of human interaction, and people seem to be lackadaisically perusing the human connection aisle of Earth Inc. And I think the reason we tend to not always engage comes down to energy and personal investment, and I think we're all afraid we won't get our monies worth.

Franklin Seal in the interview I just did ended by talking about fruit trees saying how it's interesting how humans have consciousness and the ability to make choices. Fruit trees on the other hand keep producing flowers and seed-filled fruit regardless of whether or not the seeds take root. They continue to put themselves out there because there is no ego involved just nature doing it's thing. And this comes to Ken's point on vulnerability and ego versus spirit,

"Closing off: ego. But I'm not sure about true connection being vulnerable. Egos are vulnerable. Egos can't really connect, because it is their nature to be distinct and apart. True connection is relaxing ego and letting spirit take over. If spirit takes over, it's not vulnerable. Only ego is vulnerable I think.

Ego is alone always. It works to achieve it, but suffers from it too. But Spirit is always 'connected', always one with all, which is why finding our spirit is finding an end to our isolation. We find (with spirit) what we always were but couldn't see (when seeing with the perceptive organs of ego). The work of spirit, I think, recognizes that perspectives are just that: perspectives. But that's ok. That's all we've got, and it's ok.

I think we are naturally spiritual, naturally connected, but trained, educated, practiced and grown up to be lonely (ego-driven, ego-shaped, ego-dependent). We go back and forth: when we forget our egos, we return to the state of 'childhood' innocence and playfulness: we feel connected. When we regain our egos, we claim our 'identity' and lose our connections, and invite the loneliness." - KW

I have to agree. HA! For me it all comes down to faith in spirit and letting go of ego/attachements. I was sitting with Moses the other day on Moab's main drag feeling lonely, actually I was more watching myself feel lonely from an outside perspective, watching the feeling flow through me, and being witness to my being. And in that moment I looked down at Moses who was looking up at me, I said, "It's all good buddy, it just is, and tomorrow will be another day, but the point is, this isn't permanent and in the end what we do and how we act affects the reality in which we live. And there will be times when we feel One and connected and other times when we feel alone and isolated, this just comes with the territory, we're human, well I'm human and you're a dog, but in any case, we gotta roll with it."

Yeah, see, dogtalk...

Anyways in the end I think it all comes down to ego and vulnerability, we have to let go, be ourselves in all our quirky, silly, brilliance and enter the doors open to us and accept those that remain closed. In the end, we have to accept ourselves as we are, connect to this universal interconnectedness that IS there, and accept the reality that we've created or been given. And as my brother always says, if we're having a hard time, that's good because it means we're probably growing.

To end with Ken Williams because he so often says it so well,