The following essay is a contribution from the Creative Writers Club

Today’s world houses roughly over 7 billion people and yet we are lonelier than ever. We humans are truly complex creatures. No matter what we have, what we gain, or what we accomplish we are still never satisfied. And now in order to find this abstract sense of satisfaction that we desperately long for we put ourselves on a chase. We work to the point where we do not even recognize the reflection that stares back at us. This non-stop drive prohibits us from forming any substantial relationships, building honest self-worth, and appreciating what the natural world has to offer outside of our mental cubicles. So in the end, surrounded by our meaningless memorabilia, we are still lonely and unsatisfied.

We have abandoned the joy in interaction. We evade our passionate neighbors because we think they are annoying. We cross the street whenever we spot a stranger from afar just to skip past that awkward salute and grin. We shrink at small talk. We hurry off into our little individual corners though under the same roof. We rather eyeball our devices than look into the eyes of our significant other.

Which brings me to another point: we have forgotten how to love. These days showing someone how much you love them does not require much effort. No action or feeling is authentic anymore. Since when is it strange to be affectionate, romantic, and over-the-top. Love is not meant to be an obligation that hangs over our heads. Every human is born with love and in the face of all the negative qualities we learn along the way love triumphs. But in recent generations values like love, happiness, and self-confidence have succumbed to the viruses of our ever-changing world. We have become tired, stressed, selfish, ignorant, depressed, unkempt, and emotionless creatures. So, as you see, we are miserable during the day; hence when nighttime arrives we go to bed with a sadness. No matter where you are in life or how happy you think you are you will always go to bed with some sad memory, regret, or an impossibly attainable wish looming your conscience. Sure you have your family, your friends, or your significant other but they can only do so much. There are just some parts within us no one person can fulfill.

You are the only person that knows yourself best. That is when you realize you are all alone in this game called life and when it comes down to it we will exit this world the same way we entered, alone. But there is however a silver lining in this reality. Even though our loved ones cannot possibly complete every crevice of our complicated spirits they can come pretty darn close, and that right there is beauty. That right there is hope.