The Sound Of Loneliness
I know the sound of two hands clapping and sometimes I try to figure out the sound of one hand clapping (as the Zen koan goes). But recently I’ve discovered the sound of loneliness.
What is the sound of loneliness?
It isn’t silence.
Some of us actively seek silence. Some of us like solitude. But that’s aloneness, not loneliness.
Lonely is feeling invisible in a crowd. Or unheard in the melee. Lonely is when you want to talk to someone…anyone…and all you can hear is telephones ringing and no one to pick them up. Lonely is when you want to talk to one person only and everyone in the world but that person wants to talk to you.
The sound of a telephone ringing till it gets cut is the loneliest sound in the world. Whichever end you are at.
Jennifer on 
Anu on 
Lemony on 
Prolific Dyslexic on 
1rambler
wrote on 3 August 2009 at 4:36
silence is aloneness, but looking for a hint of noise instead of enjoying the silence is loneliness..
.-= rambler´s last blog ..Why cant I step back =-.
2rads
wrote on 3 August 2009 at 6:58
Lonely is when you want to talk to one person only and everyone in the world but that person wants to talk to you.
Yes, Yes and Yes again.
.-= rads´s last blog ..sleeping-in =-.
3prats
wrote on 3 August 2009 at 9:05
Loneliness is when you want to feel alone but you end up feeling lonely. No matter how far you look around the sound of the empty calls still jar in your mind..
.-= prats´s last blog ..Revival? =-.
4Ms Taggart
wrote on 3 August 2009 at 11:00
True! The telephone ringing and no one to pick it up, is indeed a sad sound, and very very disappointing too..
.-= Ms Taggart´s last blog ..Ekkada ekkada =-.
5Hyde
wrote on 3 August 2009 at 12:38
The sound of loneliness is like the shriek of a train in a tunnel that no amount of cotton can keep out.
6IdeaSmith
wrote on 3 August 2009 at 12:42
@rambler: That’s Zen.
@rads: Awww…. *hugs*
@prats: I like “the sound of the empty calls”.
@Ms Taggart: Hmm.
@Hyde: Is it? I never experienced the train tunnels in that way. It is a combination of horror and thrill for me. So loneliness sounds differnt to different people. Hmm, interesting.
7Maan
wrote on 3 August 2009 at 20:33
loneliness is when u talk and talk and talk.. to urself!
8Prasoon
wrote on 3 August 2009 at 22:22
Could identify with each word here. Sigh!
The telephone ring – oh yes, I guess that has to be the sound of silence and I don’t like it at all – when it rings on both sides i.e.
9gazzal
wrote on 7 August 2009 at 21:24
you couldn’t have said it better….!
been there…felt it…realized it…captured it…and then had to let it go…
10IdeaSmith
wrote on 8 August 2009 at 13:49
@Maan: Yes, that’s one of the results of loneliness. Though I think not everyone who talks to themselves is lonely. How could one be lonely when one has so many people inside one’s head?
@Prasoon: Sad, isn’t it?
@gazzal: I know and I’m sorry. Truly.
11Kokonad
wrote on 10 August 2009 at 1:22
Such an intricate use of words…
Beautiful. The last line nailed it.
12IdeaSmith
wrote on 21 August 2009 at 18:47
@Kokonad: The first comment! I hope there’ll be more!