Smithsonian magazine's 22nd Annual Photo Contest | Made possible through the support of MPB.com

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