Our societies are not in good shape. Especially in the West, loneliness and depression are rampant. The mobile is now for many their closest companion, and the dangers are great to being lured into debased entertainment, gaming, betting or porn. When I recently heard a podcast on the epidemic of loneliness in the West, I remembered a series which I wrote long ago, in 1983, for a German magazine about “Indian wisdom from A to Z”. I had taken up 108 common words, grouped them from A to Z and gave apart from our normal understanding, the view of the Indian Rishis. Under the letter A, among other terms, I had written about “Allein sein” which means, being alone.
I translated it into English:
Are you all alone here in India? How often I was asked this question, and how hard it was for the questioner to understand, why on earth, I would venture into a foreign land all alone. Yet of course I am not alone. Especially in India it is almost impossible to be alone. I don’t mean because of the many people everywhere, but it’s impossible due to India’s ancient wisdom. It says that God, that great power, that is the cause for our existence is always with us. Not only with us, like our best, trustworthy friend but it is right WITHIN us as our true essence. It will never leave us, in fact, it cannot even leave us, because we are one with it.
Sure, usually we trust our senses which tell us that we are all alone when no other person is around, with whom we are somehow familiar. We look for friendly relationships to others, and overlook our closest and most familiar relationship with our Self or God. We should keep reminding ourselves about this innermost presence and so become more familiar with it, the Indian Rishis advise. Calling it God and being in an intimate dialogue or prayer, is helpful. This is easier at least in the beginning, when we can focus our full attention on God or our Self – that means, when we are all alone. Then it is easier to realise that in truth all is one (al-one) and that we are one with that which the Indian Rishis call Brahman or pure, blissful awareness.
Suddenly ‘being alone’ has a very different feeling to it and being lonely, cannot happen to us any longer.
By Maria Wirth
If you like my writing, check out my books:
“Why Hindu Dharma is under attack by Muslims, Christians and the Left”, published 2025
https://www.amazon.in/dp/8119670655 also Kindle version
Thank you India – a German woman’s journey to the wisdom of yoga” 2018, from a personal angle.
it’s also available on amazon, but cheaper from the publisher Garuda.
https://garudalife.in/thank-you-india-by-maria-wirth/ (for Rs 349 instead of Rs 499)
1 Comment
Alone Yes, after my wife for 42 years no more since 2022 and my aged mother 99 years since 2024. But not in spirit. When she was bedridden because of brain colapse I had to engage a migrant cook from a neighboring destrict to look after her and my mother too…as well. She came with her two daughters aged 3 and 7. My own daughter who is a Doctor was busy and son employed in Canada.
I have the habbit of reading books since childhood, listening to music, and in politics all available in social media. Also took the responsibility of educating the two daughters of my cook now one in sixth and the other 10 th, supervising their home work and preparing them in their studies meeting all the needs of this family…! So busy allways! They loves me as though I am their grandfather ! We do pujas celebrate fastivals do Bhajans together ….!
Time moves on.. At 76 no further ambitions,wants, lonliness or greviences.