Freedom and loneliness: how are they different and what is better?

Sociologists and psychologists consider loneliness a problem in modern society. Paradoxically, in the era of open computer communications, people increasingly refuse to communicate and interact with each other, self-isolating and moving away from society. Moreover, they explain their choice by the desire for complete inner freedom, independence from society, social stereotypes and generally accepted standards. What is the difference between loneliness and freedom? Can a lonely person be considered free and vice versa?

Loneliness and freedom are not equivalent concepts. Each of them denotes a special state of personality, formed under the influence of a number of external and internal factors.

So, by definition, by “freedom” it is customary to understand the state of an individual in which he is the cause of his actions. In simple words, any act of a free person is a consequence of his independent decision based on his own motives, principles, feelings, personal experience. The actions of a free person do not arise under the influence of external factors (natural, social, interpersonal).

In its turn, the term "loneliness" refers to the complete absence of social contacts of an individual person, the loss of her physical and spiritual interaction with society as a whole. Psychologists distinguish between positive and negative loneliness - states that are formed under the influence of external or internal factors. Positive loneliness (solitude) is a state to which a person aspires voluntarily under the influence of some internal factors (for example, due to emotional or physical fatigue).Negative loneliness (isolation) is a state in which the interaction of the individual with society is completely lost under the influence of external factors: natural, social.

The concept of “freedom” is based on the assertion that each person is free in his thoughts, decisions and actions. but this does not mean that a person can do whatever he wants, violating or restricting the rights of other representatives of society. Freedom and permissiveness are fundamentally different concepts that should be distinguished from each other.

So, a free person makes decisions and acts, guided not only by his own motives, but also by social norms, without going beyond the limits of universal values, moral and moral principles. Permissiveness, on the other hand, denotes a state of personality in which its actions often go against the system of universal human values, moral and legal norms.

Experts note the importance of the psychological component of loneliness, due to which this condition can be both negative and positive. A person’s voluntary desire for self-isolation can be determined by his personal system of values, worldview, self-esteem, existential search (the search for the meaning of life). Being a free person, a person independently makes a decision on self-isolation and acts guided by personal motives.

A curious phenomenon called “loneliness in the crowd” is noteworthy. Sociologists and psychologists associate it with the intensive development of computer technology, which has greatly expanded the field of human opportunities for communication and social interaction. The appearance of social networks, instant messengers, and computer programs for communicating at a distance produced a completely unexpected effect on society, the opposite of what was expected.

Instead of an active desire to build up social contacts, people began to consciously limit themselves in communication, avoiding any means of interaction with other representatives of society. Psychologists associate this phenomenon with information oversaturation, which in the scientific community is called "information fatigue syndrome."

Psychologists often associate a feeling of loneliness with the onset of depression, which affects emotional, hypersensitive natures. In this case, a feeling of loneliness may be accompanied by a loss of spiritual relationship with society (“no one understands me”), denial and rejection of the proposed norms and rules (“this is not for me”, “this is alien to me”). However, in this case, a person does not cease to be free, acting within the framework of his own beliefs and principles. Conscious removal from society is the result of decisions made by man.

In specialized literature, loneliness is almost always interpreted in a negative way. A person experiencing a feeling of deep loneliness is inherent in negative emotions: apathy, resentment, anger, aggression, depression, mental pain, frustration, envy. Psychologists, in turn, associate positive emotions with a feeling of freedom: a feeling of lightness, soaring, independence, a surge of mental strength, a feeling of wings behind.

From a philosophical point of view, each person is free and lonely at the same time. It is known that every representative of society comes into this world and leaves it alone.Understanding this fact allows us to form a neutral (which is logical and correct) attitude to loneliness as a natural state of a person.

Psychologists consider important the perception of loneliness by the person himself. Positive people use this condition for personal growth, physical and spiritual development. Loneliness often finds expression in creativity: poetry, music, painting, sculpture. In this state, a person seems to cut off from himself flows of unnecessary information coming from society.

The ability to make independent decisions, acting as a guide to further actions, is human freedom. Each person is free in his decisions and actions, and no external force is able to limit this freedom (of course, if human actions do not contradict generally accepted values ​​and legal norms). A person’s freedom is also manifested in the fact that he has the right to independently assess his current state.