To Each His Own Emotion

In reference to John Donne's "No Man is An Island" poem, I must say I completely agree.  I feel as though no person may exist completely on their own.  If someone lives alone, or is an agoraphobic, they still have contact with the outside world.  They read literature or go on the internet.  In some way, they are connected to the rest of the human race.  We are all connected.  That is my strong belief.  Everyone does at least one thing in their life to change the life of another.  No man is an island.
Contrary to this poem, Jean-Paul Sartre's quote "Hell is other people" is not something I believe.  Though information about Sartre does not portray him as a pessimist, I do not believe someone who was particularly happy with everything going on in their life would say such a thing.  I think something happened to Sartre, such as a failed relationship or betrayal by a friend, to make him think so negatively of other human beings.

Loneliness Quote:

"We're all walking around with these glossy eyes.  "I'm just tired," we say.  But you know what?  It's bullshit.   Yes, we are tired, but it's not all from lack of sleep.  We are tired of waking up with nothing to look forward to, tired of going to bed exhausted after doing a million things we find no enjoyment in doing.  We're tired of this void, this emptiness that looms over us even though our days are packed.  We're tired of the loneliness that presses down on us even though we're surrounded by dozens of people.  So why can't we just say it?  Humans are so afraid to look into each other's eyes and say "I am unhappy, I am broken, I am hopeless and fallible."  We've been conditioned to associate pain with weakness, sadness with coldness, loneliness with unworthiness, difference with disease, as if these feelings are contagious, as if ambivalence is something not to be felt but to be feared.  Well, I say screw all of that.  Screw forced smiles and polite handshakes and I'm find, thank yous.  Screw the fear of crying in a public place, screw the fake chipper voice, screw the lies we spit out to cover up our problems.  We are humans.  We are meant to feel.  To feel everything and to feel it all openly.  We are not metal - we are flesh and bone.  Our boiled blood courses through our cold, clammy hands.  We are intricate and beautiful and we should never hide our human parts, because if we do, then what's left to show?"

-Unknown

This quote really hit home for me.  I used to feel this type of tired.  I know I have no reason to.  My life is wonderful; I have an amazing family, amazing friends, absolutely no hardships.  I could have it so much worse.  To be perfectly honest, I only felt this way because I would see all of my friends with their boyfriends, happy, content, and I would feel pity for myself.  I wondered what was wrong with me.  I knew what was wrong with me.  I did not look the part of a girlfriend.  I was weird and annoying and destined to live alone forever.  I would spend my time listening to songs like "Tired" by Kelly Price.  I felt alone.  I could not find the energy to go through the day, and my smiles felt so fake and forced.  Then I realized, however cliche it may be, that I did not need a man to complete me.  That was probably the most powerful epiphany I have ever had, and after it, my life changed for the better.  I no longer feel this lonely void.  I am happy.

Happiness Quote:

"I am beautiful no matter what they say
Words can't bring me down
I am beautiful in every single way
Yes, words can't bring me down
So don't you bring me down today"

-Christina Aguilera

This quote from her popular song "Beautiful" is both heart-lifting and inspiring.  This song means a lot to me.  I used to have really horrible self-esteem issues, and this song, including others such as "Fear" by Jazmine Sullivan, helped me overcome said issues.  It made my outlook on life more positive.  I started being more optimistic.  I began to believe more in myself and what I can accomplish.

Loneliness

In his online article "Being 'fully human' online", Ezra Klein touches on some of the positive attributes of online gaming, and of being online in general.  Jason Rowe, a disabled 35-year-old man Klein interviewed, described the internet as his "window to the world."  This phrase provides a distinct insight on what it is like to rely on the computer for all of your social needs.  While most have the option of going out to a bar or any other public place and socializing in person, there is a percentage of people without that privilege.  With today's technology though, they do not have to remain in complete isolation.  They can travel miles away, to other countries, other worlds, other dimensions, without having to leave their front door.  Personally, I believe online gaming is extremely beneficial for those who have no other option.  It helps to combat the loneliness they may feel.  When people overuse the internet, well, that is another topic entirely.
Roger Ebert puts his advanced writing skills to use in his two articles "All the lonely people" and "A meeting of solitudes" to talk about the topic of loneliness.  He speaks of the different ways many solitary people share their thoughts through blogs, of the reasons why we, as humans, find soul mates and get married, of what lonely people in past civilizations did to pass the time.  Losing his ability to speak introduced a new means of communication to him: the internet.  Through this, he began recording his thoughts in organized articles and sharing them with his many fans.  He read their feedback and developed a deeper connection with them.  He gained just as much from them as they from him, and they opened his eyes to new perspectives.  After reading this article, I can better sympathize for those who live in solitude.
Personally, I do not often feel very lonely.  There are people in the world who have nothing and no one, and I am extremely blessed to be in the current position I am in.  I can honestly say I love my life.  You need not date to get rid of any feelings of loneliness, which I have learned by keeping my self out of relationships.  Actually, being lonely should never be the reason you choose to find a companion.  I have friends who I know care about me, and a loving family, and I keep myself involved.  I do not have time to feel anything but happy.
The internet, Facebook mainly, are very convenient means of socialization.  I have Facebook on my cell phone, so I do not often use it on the computer.  That means I do not waste my time mindlessly scrolling through my Newsfeed, watching people I am barely acquainted with keep the world posted on their mundane existences.  I also do not text and IM about nothing.  Nothing bothers me more than seeing a conversation go in this manner:
Hey.
Hey.
What's up?
Nothing much. How about you?
Nothing much. 
Cool.
Yeah.
You would not do this in person?  Could you even imagine?  What makes cyber communication any different.  If you are going to start a conversation, start it with a point, but I'm afraid I have strayed from my point.
Is the internet isolating us or bringing us closer together?  What a difficult question to answer.  In a way, it brings people separated by distance closer together.  However, many young people misuse this new science.  Two girls in the same room with sit next to each other and text.  Why!  Have we become that incapable of functioning without our Iphones and Androids?  What is the purpose of texting someone 25 miles away while you are at a party?  While the internet has helped connect lonely people who have no other option stay connected to the outside world, many of us take its presence to an extreme.  I do not understand why some people complain about being lonely, yet they do nothing but go home and blog about it, in the quiet seclusion of their living rooms.  Get out there!  Meet new people!  Loneliness is a time-old epidemic that is today both solved and caused by the internet.  But hey, that is just my opinion.