Impossible Lonliness Essay, Research Paper

Impossible Loneliness

Often times I like to think of my self as being alone with my thoughts. Sometimes you have to get away and think about life and its ups and downs. But then again, in today s world can one really ever be completely alone and free? When looking over Donne s assertion, No man is an island, entire of itself, one is made to think of both sides of the spectrum in relation to the his remark. You can disagree and say that man can be entire of himself and similar to an island alone in an ocean of water, or you can agree with him and say that man cannot be alone. I would have to say that I support the latter.

A prime example that shows how one cannot exist alone in a society is George Orwell s book 1984. Orwell warns of the terrifying dangers that man may create for himself in his quest for a utopian society. He warns that people might believe that everyone must become slaves to the government in order to have an orderly society, but at the expense of the freedom of the people. The loss of freedom relates to Donne s assertion. If you have read this book then you know what I am talking about when I say someone is always watching you Or shall I say that Big Brother is always watching you. Winston Smith is a man that feels he does not like the government running his life and he tries to escape from life itself almost. He cannot get away though. He is never alone and never achieves his goal of joining the brotherhood and overthrowing the government. Although this is more of a book about government control and rebellion, the gist of the story shows that one cannot be completely alone. Someone is always watching you, thinking about you or plotting against you.

People often try to escape their troubles, responsibilities, and lives by running away from them. They assume that if they leave or hide and become invisible, then everything will be ok. This is just another ploy to try to become your own island and be alone. Running away from problems never works though because guilt often gets the best of everyone and we are forced to return to your life. If guilt does not bother us then the authorities will probably find you anyways. Responsibilities, dependencies, and life in general cause people to never truly become alone in their lives. We live in a country where the government depends on us for its money and existence. We pay taxes and social security. When someone is born records begin and when someone dies their records end with them. But while we are alive, someone is always keeping tabs on us.

Some people might not agree with Donne and his assertion. There are some points that people can make to show that a man can be alone just like an island in the ocean. One possible idea would be that a man is alone with is thoughts. A man s thoughts are his own. Right? Well in a sense yes, but something has to influence these thoughts. Any particular though has to be brought on by outside forces. Therefore, no one can ever be alone with his thoughts completely. Something will always have an influence on his mind or be dependant upon him or voice versa. One other point made by people that do not agreement with Donne s idea is that we are alone because we are dependant upon no one and because we are our own being. Well of course you are we are our own being, but where did we come from? Our parents are where we came from. Also, someone is bound to be dependant upon us. If we have a job, then our employers are dependant. If we have children they are dependant upon us. Everyone in the world has dependencies and is depended upon. No one can possibly be alone in himself or herself.

When I need to escape and be alone with my thoughts I take off and just drive. Usually, I feel that I have escaped temporarily, but in actuality I haven t. I look at my watch, radio or cell phone to find out what time it is. I have my schedule that I still have to keep. If I do not keep it I will throw off other people s schedules. You cannot ever be alone or entire of yourself. This is just not possible in today s world.