I just watched ‘The Age of Loneliness’ documentary… Such a thought-provoking documentary. Since doing what I do… what ever it is that I actually do, I’m not sure exactly but apparently I sometimes help tiny amounts with people going through difficult times whether it’s through the happy stuff I create or the letters and scribbly notes I write… I have strangers often contacting me to say thank you or to tell me their story and how I’ve helped in a very small way or to tell me about a friend or family member going through a really difficult time - Which is quite bizarre but equally wonderful. I guess it’s strange to me because I don’t think I really do or say anything that’s unusual or that you wouldn’t be able to say to your best friend on their very worst day, but I’ve found that maybe it’s sometimes easier coming from or through a stranger who’s completely detached from a situation… Who knows nothing about you or what you’ve been through.
I’ve only been properly doing this (what ever ‘this’ is) for a year or so, I’m 23 next month and I haven’t been through even a fraction of some of the things that people have told me about and I am incredibly grateful for that. However, I do know what it feels like to feel great sadness… We all do. We’re all human and we all have shit to deal with, but it seems it’s not always ’right’ to talk about this stuff. It’s sometimes easier to put on a brave face and act like everything’s alright rather than talk about it.
One thing I’ve noticed above anything else over the past year or two is that it’s not a specific ‘type’ of person, not a particular gender or age of person who has contacted me… As you’ll see if you manage to watch this documentary, recently the media have been heavily focused on loneliness in elderly people, which is often what you’d typically think of if somebody mentioned ‘loneliness’, but it can happen to anyone. We will all know at least one person feeling this way right this second, and I bet that more often than not it’s the person you’d least expect. Basically what I’m trying to say is just be aware of those around you, know that the person walking past you in the street or sat next to you on the bus may have had the worst day, or week… or year. That friend who went through hell and back a few weeks ago, ask them how things are. Be kind and smile, because we’re all just riding this roller coaster we call life and we will all have points where we want to get off.
I hope a few people are able to appreciate this documentary as I did.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b06vkhr5/the-age-of-loneliness
I’ve only been properly doing this (what ever ‘this’ is) for a year or so, I’m 23 next month and I haven’t been through even a fraction of some of the things that people have told me about and I am incredibly grateful for that. However, I do know what it feels like to feel great sadness… We all do. We’re all human and we all have shit to deal with, but it seems it’s not always ’right’ to talk about this stuff. It’s sometimes easier to put on a brave face and act like everything’s alright rather than talk about it.
One thing I’ve noticed above anything else over the past year or two is that it’s not a specific ‘type’ of person, not a particular gender or age of person who has contacted me… As you’ll see if you manage to watch this documentary, recently the media have been heavily focused on loneliness in elderly people, which is often what you’d typically think of if somebody mentioned ‘loneliness’, but it can happen to anyone. We will all know at least one person feeling this way right this second, and I bet that more often than not it’s the person you’d least expect. Basically what I’m trying to say is just be aware of those around you, know that the person walking past you in the street or sat next to you on the bus may have had the worst day, or week… or year. That friend who went through hell and back a few weeks ago, ask them how things are. Be kind and smile, because we’re all just riding this roller coaster we call life and we will all have points where we want to get off.
I hope a few people are able to appreciate this documentary as I did.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b06vkhr5/the-age-of-loneliness
