19th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
Loneliness or Isolation?

In our difficult time, when we were locked in our houses alone with our thoughts, I felt lonely. On reflection, I realized that I was confusing loneliness with isolation. Having isolated, I went deep into myself. I asked questions, found answers, gained strength. I learned to hear myself. Sometimes it was difficult and scary for me, and then I tried by all means to be active in social networks, avoiding being alone with myself. Loneliness is an internal feeling. Lonely online, lonely in a crowd, or even worse, lonely around loved ones. Isolation allowed me to understand that I do not need to learn to be with others, that I am not lonely. I found myself not lonely in isolation.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 07.2019
Date Uploaded: 11.2021
Photo Location: Berdichiv, Ukraine
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Copyright: © Vyacheslav Mishchenko