We are always alone, and we are never alone.

It seems like we can look at this from either perspective. When we are on the subway, at a festival, or in a mall we are moving amongst a sea of other people, bumping shoulders and sharing breath. Yet we still can only observe the world around us from our singular physical perspective. And we know that one perspective will always stay with us as we move through the day.

Yet we also can see the world as though we are all connected, that every action we take has some impact on the rest of humanity. We can feel on some level that our ideas may be simultaneously shared with others. We know that the overall knowledge of humanity grows with each discovery we as an individual make.

So which is it? I guess both then. Try testing this out. When you are in a sea of people, embrace your singularity. When you are alone, embrace your connection to humanity.

The one thing we know for sure is that whatever we put our attention on, that energy will grow in us. If we are feeling claustrophobic in a crowd, we can put our attention upon our singularity and feel the calming effect of being one with ourselves.

If we are feeling lonely, we can put our attention on our connection to humanity. We can put our attention on every relationship we have in the present moment. We can focus upon the cashier we know by name at the grocery store. We can focus on the mailman we see each day at 10:35 a.m. and enjoy that we know he has three kids, one playing on the high school tennis team.

We can focus on our Facebook page, and look through the list of all the friend connections we have. We can review their status updates and enjoy the fact that they are sharing details of their lives with us. We can reach out and message them in any moment… and connect.

The idea is to stay in the current moment. Do not reflect on relationships from the past, or long for a relationship for the future. Be totally in the “now” and embrace every connection you have to other people. Know that you can reach out in person, by phone, by email, by text, or by utilizing social media and connect with another human being… in this exact moment. Know that you can also use meditation or prayer to connect spiritually to others, even those that may no longer be here physically. This could be the most powerful relationship tool of all.

So I guess we really are always alone, and we are also really never alone.