Lifeline

Regardless of our abilities or our proclivities, we need other people. No matter how much we’d love to live in a cave somewhere, we cannot survive in isolation. Even beyond our physical needs, it is through other people that we find meaning and connection. Love and family and friendship and generosity and all the things that make life a worthwhile endeavor.

That doesn’t mean people can’t scare us, or hurt us, or make our lives a little worse for a time. And it can be hard to say who’s who before you know them – hence why we sometimes want to just live in a cave.

But you need to leave yourself something even when you hibernate. A tin can tied to a string, a line of bread crumbs, a periscope, something. There needs to be an escape route. Because there’s only one truly isolated perfect little cave that you’ll ever truly inhabit in your life, and that’s your grave. Don’t be in too much of a rush to get there.