What we all have in common.....

Strangely enough, I went to the pictures last night.. not that there is anything really strange about that, you understand, but watching the film (Hancock, with Will Smith...) I realised somethingh that to be honest I should have realised long ago... without giving away teh answer straight away, I'll just give a few examples.. sorry.... not exactly a digression.. but I digress... my favourite book by far is PeterBeagle's The Last Unicorn. my favourite anime is Evangelion, or possibly Noir.... I enjoy watching the Sweeney... and so on.. now, I'm a great believer that the main reason people enjoy plays, books, etc is that they can relate to the characters within.. which is why I detest Friends, and Sex and the City, but love Ally McBeal.... of which more later.... and it was while watching Hancock taht I realised why all these things appeal to me... from Ally herself, through regan and Carter, Schmendrick, Molly Grue, King Haggard, the Unicorn, Shinji, Rei, Asuka, Gendo Ikari, Mireille, Kirika... even Kaouru the final angel, all have one thing in common with both Hancock and me... and that, for those who have not encountered these people.. (and you should!) is not that they and I are fictional characters, but the simple human attribute of loneliness.... all are totally, irretrievably lonely.. with the possible exception of Molly and Schmendrick and Mireille and Kirika....and even then i doubt it.. Hancock, for those of you who have yet to encounter him, is a superhero. without giving away any of the plot, he is lonely.. not just alone, but lonely.... and here's the rub.. alone and lonely are not the same.. teh Unicorn is alone... but does not realise that she is lonely until she knows she is the last.. Hancock is alone.. but rei, Shinji and Asuka are not alone.. yet lonely they are, even after they all merge together with the rest of humanity during Instrumentality..... and here is where I relate to them.. I cannot recall, in my entire life, a single day when i did not feel lonely.. I was married, have a lovely son.. who is a joy to spend time with, most of the time... and spend time with scouts and cubs, and Beavers, and Guides and Leaders... I had two short relationships after divorce (although some would say there was only one.. of which more later...) and I but although I am not alone, I have always been lonely... and I'm sure it is the same for many others.... not that I've been unhappy, I hasten to add...well.. not always... well.. occasionally... for me, loneliness seems to be the default setting..... and I wonder how many others are the same.. as a herd animal we seem to be mortally afraid of loneliness.... peopel go to any lengths to avoid it.. I know I did... they get married to unsuitable people, clutch at the first person who shows them any affection, get into bad crowds... clubs seem especially good at preying on this fear, attracting you with the promise of seeing hundreds of others, and possinbly meeting someone who will assuage your loneliness, only to play loud music that is deilberately designed to isolate you from your fellow man, and increase your loneliness in order to persuade you to go again and again..... drumming into you that it is something wrong inside you that keeps you lonely, for how else could you be lonely with all these other people around..... but now I'm beginning to sound obsessed... perhaps its the loneliness.... I must admit that I'm not expecting to ever be cured of this malady.. the most i hope for are relationships with others that don't serve to increase the isolation.... for me that's good enough.... but for now, all I'll add is don't worry about loneliness.... there are too many people around for us not to be lonely.... until we all realise that lonely is not a threat, Wisebeard salutes you!!!!!!!