loneliness Archieven | Existential Reflections

Essays

Loneliness is not being alone. It’s the feeling that nobody cares

Menno van der Land / December 12, 2020

In our modern societies having a ‘rich social life’ is widely seen and promoted as an essential part of a successful and happy life. At the same time there is a growing awareness…

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Every time someone asks me if I have children, and my answer is ‘no’, I am amazed that the default follow-up question is: “why not?” Apparently it’s OK to ask people to justify their highly personal life choices. Especially when those choices deviate from what is considered ‘normal.’ People who do have children rarely have to defend themselves. Although in my opinion it makes more sense to ask people why they chose to have children. A convincing answer to why you would bring children into this world, proving you have given it proper consideration, seems more appropriate to me than having to justify staying childfree.