why don’t you sit alone in a cafe about it?

we're all alone, but together we're less alone.

As I sit here in this coastal town cafe, Jack Johnson softly plays in the background. I look around me at all of these strangers. Catching up with their loved ones. Savouring the taste of their morning coffee. People watching. Having important meetings with their colleagues. Even a few individuals just like me, sitting alone and working on their laptops, reading a book or treating themselves to a solo adventure to get out of their lonely home. All of these strangers crowded in a coastal town cafe, each of us experiencing this so-called thing called life. 

It’s so easy for all of us to get caught up in our own lives. I mean, that’s all we truly know, right? Every day we wake up to ourselves, see our reflection in the mirror, think about how our day is going to be, and experience the many emotions that will flood our senses as day turns to night. Yes, I dare say we are incredibly involved with our own lives – so much so that we forget to look up and acknowledge that everybody else is in the exact same boat.

Humans have a tendency to isolate themselves, much to their detriment. When someone isolates themselves, they place more emphasis on their own problems because they create an environment where their thoughts and feelings are the only interactions they have.

I would argue that this is incredibly dangerous, and has the potential to create a monster. A monster that believes they’re better off alone because nobody understands them. 

The truth is, nobody will ever truly understand you. It’s a bittersweet pill to swallow. I don’t think it has to be a negative truth, though. In fact, I think it’s kind of comedic. We spend so much time trying to understand ourselves. We use language to place ourselves into a box, but most of the time it never works and we end up more confused about who we are. Perhaps the antidote to all of this is to get out of your head and into the world. To surround yourself with other people and laugh about the fact we’re all a little lost. In fact, maybe the purpose of feeling so alone is to draw us closer together.

I would like to emphasise that human interactions are not limited to conversations between people. It also means getting outside of your own four walls and surrounding yourself with other people – even if it’s by sitting alone in a cafe, as I am now. Doing so serves as a simple yet powerful reminder that other people exist. That there are other people who are also navigating their existence, and that you’re not entirely alone, even if at times, it feels like it.

So, the next time you’re feeling a little overwhelmed by your own thoughts and emotions. The next time you’re feeling so alone. I have a question I’d like you to ask yourself: Why don’t you sit alone in a cafe about it? 

We’re all alone, but together we’re less alone.

Until next time,
Plot Collector.