Editorial December 15, 1973 Issue

You Don't Have to Be Lonely

Geoffrey J. Barratt

If we're lonely, Christian Science can change our thinking in a way that can at once change our solitary course. Often loneliness comes from a tendency to focus on what we don't have in common with others. Through Science we become far more alive to what we have in common with others because we see ourselves and others as we really are, the emanation of infinite Mind, God.

In shedding loneliness, it's important to develop spiritual self-knowledge, to see our Godlike nature. As we do, we find we know others better, because we more clearly see them, too, as they really exist. As we transcend narrow personal evaluations of ourselves and consequently assess others spiritually, our attention is less caught by mortal labels of age, religion, political affiliation, education, color, class. It's sometimes the excessive importance we give these superficial mortal classifications, when they differ from ours, that deprives us of companionship—and thus deprives others of our companionship.

When we categorize ourselves more spiritually, we quickly find we categorize our neighbor more spiritually, too. If we're willing to drop our mortal labels—and less frequently label others with mortal concepts—we become more flexible and adaptable, better integrated with our fellows and they with us. We soon grow out of any unfriendly pigeonholing of people as, for instance, extreme extroverts or introverts, which we may unwittingly have been doing. As Mrs. Eddy explains: "He who gains the God-crowned summit of Christian Science never abuses the corporeal personality, but uplifts it. He thinks of every one in his real quality, and sees each mortal in an impersonal depict."^{Retrospection and Introspection, p. 76;}

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