He laughed, recalling Carl Jung's saying that those who have not learned how to endure loneliness will never learn how to live. When he objected that nowadays just opening the phone is enough to have the whole world, he nodded: "Talking to others a lot, but talking to myself less. Loneliness is when we disconnect to step into the inner world, where there are dark corners we often ignore: Jealousy hidden behind congratulations, or fear of being abandoned disguised as strength.
He suddenly felt uneasy and remembered the time his friend sold the painting at a high price, he smiled and congratulated her, but in the evening he secretly deleted his friend's photo from the news board. And he was always afraid of silence, whenever the rented room was quiet, he had to turn on music or call someone to avoid the "dark room" in his head. He laughed "Loneliness is like cleaning a house. At first, dust flies everywhere, but if you don't clean, you will live forever in that mess".
One evening later, he tried to turn off his phone, sitting alone in front of the unfinished painting. No music, no text messages. Initially, suffocation rushed in. Fears of failure, comparisons and even childhood memories of being criticized appeared clearly. He intended to pick up his phone to text or call someone. But then, he looked straight at his fear and realized: "It turns out, I'm afraid I'm not good enough and always crave recognition from everyone." When he called the name of the fear correctly, it suddenly became smaller.
A few weeks later, his paintings began to change. No longer were they strokes that tried to please viewers or follow trends, but rather colors that were true to his inner emotions, with both light and deep darkness. Viewers began to comment that his paintings were emotional and deep.
Looking at his uncle's new painting, he nodded: "Looking at paintings is seeing people, you have just learned how to live. Enduring loneliness is not self-isolation, but accepting it as a mirror to reflect yourself. Humans are not perfected by bleaching all black spots, but by reconciling with them.
He nodded. He was no longer afraid of quiet evenings, because he understood that only when we are alone without panic can we live in the crowd without losing ourselves.
