Single Persons Sink or Swim



 
Florence Nighingale the Night Angel
A single person here implies a person who lives alone and not as a part of a family or even a community such as in a hostel, monastery or seniors home most of the time. There are very many humans on the planet that for various reasons such as widowhood, divorces, choice or circumstances etc. are single. The internet and other modern communication devices may provide some social interaction but it is not the same thing as a real life one. It seems from an observation of humans in our world that whereas a person living as a part of a family is more likely to be an everyday man or woman, rare exceptional behavior is more often observed from amongst those who are single.

Thus, whereas the wicked witch who lives in her hole on top of wailing mountain, Jack the Ripper or Boston Strangler are more likely to be single persons, so are Jesus Christ, Buddha and Florence Nightingale. Truly, the possibility for a person to lead a normal life is far greater as a part of a family as compared to one living alone. The New Prime Minister of India, who started from very humble beginnings, Shri Narendra Modi has lived a life as a single person from the age of seventeen up beginning with wandering in the Himalayas.

One may like to inquire, what is it that may make a single person evil or a saint, if not to the full extent, at least to a degree so that they can pass of as a normal human being at the mall and do their shopping in peace without getting mobbed. The answer to that is not difficult to find. A person interacting and sharing within a family and doing things that most other humans do has a greater opportunity to lead a normal life than another living alone. Single persons on the other hand, left to themselves, may continuously focus on their own needs, emotions and thoughts or, if they so choose, God. It is also possible for them to endlessly hop on one leg around the living room with a shoe tied to their nut and no one shall stop them or say it is an odd thing to do. It is not unfeasible that some may end up prowling in the night as a Boston strangler or flying around town on a broomstick on a moonlit night, metaphorically speaking, or end up giving a sermon on the mount. A single person also has a much greater opportunity to serve God or society if they so decide and it is from these latter that saints emerge.

The conclusion seems to be that single persons must endeavor to serve others in society in whatever way suits their temperament. It could also be a service of the animal world or nature. Thereby, they shall have a far greater opportunity to share with others rather than remain focused on their own needs and thoughts and it is through this that they are likely to find much joy, spiritual growth and happiness at least, if not sainthood.

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