I’ve almost always considered myself an independent person. I am highly introverted and thrive best when I’m alone. But are we ever really alone? When I have time to myself, at my home, alone, I think about this. My phone is next to me, my computer is on, my TV is probably playing something. In some sense, I’m still surrounded by people.

Recently I tried to eat a meal without the TV on and without touching my phone. About halfway through the meal, I felt a little stir-crazy. I began grabbing for books to read. I don’t think there is anything wrong with grabbing for books to read. In fact, people should be doing this more often. But the fact that I was so uncomfortable in the silence of my own thoughts was disheartening.

Perhaps I am not as independent as I would like to think. Perhaps I am quite like everyone else. Maybe we all have become so reliant on being able to contact other humans, or at least hear another human voice, for so long that we don’t know how to sit in silence. We’re scared to be alone with ourselves. To me, that’s a concerning place to be.