Loner

Let me tell you this: if you meet a loner, no matter what they tell you, it's not because they enjoy solitude. It's because they have tried to blend into the world before, and people continue to disappoint them. ― Jodi Picoult, My Sister's Keeper

The more time we spend out in the world interacting with others, the more we realize that people are oftentimes incomprehensible.  Even with those individuals we know well, we are occasionally surprised to realize that they think or perceive in manners that are different from (and even opposite to) how we think or perceive.

It is disappointing. Frustrating. It tempts us to withdraw into solitude:  when we are alone, we at least have the comfort of knowing we understand ourselves.

It's sometimes a wonder that human beings can in fact find common ground -- but somehow, we do.  We try, with a million words and gestures, to impart to one another what we mean or how we feel or why we believe things ought to be a certain way.  It is a laborious endeavor.  Yet occasionally, someone close has an uncanny ability to say aloud precisely what one is thinking under specific circumstances, and it's both thrilling and terrifying to realize that perhaps, for that single moment, one is perfectly understood.

This magnificent photograph shows an ant lion larva in all its solitary glory.
Picture copyright 2014, Mediocria Firma. Used with gratitude.