LEFT ALONE

My camera is always drawn to scenes and people left alone by life and time. I am a bit of a loner and often wander to find my real self and peace. Always careful in my wandering not to be left alone. 

Being a loner creates questions about life. It has great rewards, but often deep costs. Sociologists say only a quarter of people count themselves loners. They are often misunderstood and sometimes viewed incompletely.

A loner has more time to reflect and study a situation from the outside. The time alone makes you more comfortable to new situations. Since most of a loners relations are acquaintances, people often sense this and are more open to sharing experiences. You have time to take paths not taken by others, not subject to their judgement. Often this involves being able to observe things others people don’t.

There are costs to al this. You can miss good business opportunities while you are wandering. Sometimes people will ask more of you socially than you can give. Many times you feel unfulfilled because of the lack of deep friendships, only earned by being more social. 

So what do you take from all this. Being a loner or not just involves separate paths. Paths that offer different views of the world, that generate different art and thought. I will never be fully comfortable with being a loner, but would not give up the peace and thoughts I have found wandering in that path.

I present a few photos wandering in a loners shoes of places and people left alone.

David Young

“Be a loner. It gives you time to wonder, to search for the truth. Have holy curiosity. Make life worth living.” - Albert Einstein

Additional Reading on being a Loner

“A Field Guide to Loners” by Elizabeth Svoboda

“13 Rules for Being Alone and Being Happy About it” by Tyler Tervooren

“What are the Pros and Cons of being a loner” by Vivek Mehta

LEFT ALONE from David Young on Vimeo.