Meditations on Matter and Loneliness

Abstract

What people consciously or tacitly believe about matter, that which constitutes the world of things, dramatically affects how we feel we belong to the cosmos. By learning to be playful with our concepts and perceptions, we can discover a form of spiritual care that can be a balm to loneliness and bring about flexibility and belonging—as forms of spiritual nourishment. In the wake of the loneliness crisis, this piece explores how relationship with the world of matter affects loneliness and sense of belonging. It proposes that, like a poet, we can learn to be accompanied by tulips in a vase or rain falling on the roof when our perception of matter becomes creative and flexible. Through fragments and collage—personal narrative, lyrical non-fiction, quotes, poetry, and meditative practices—this piece offers lonely folks ways to inhabit a playfully re-enchanted cosmos.