In this unstructured, raw video, Matthew Hussey reflects on the pervasive issue of loneliness in modern society, especially amid abundant digital connection tools. He references a Kid Cudi interview that inspired him to make content that helps people feel less isolated. Hussey argues that loneliness is a common, often hidden pain, and dispels two myths: that one is uniquely lonely and that solitude is inherently negative. He cites Rainer Rilke to illustrate how solitude can foster creativity and personal growth. Hussey urges viewers to be kinder, recognizing that many share the same feelings, and suggests that making others feel less alone can bring purpose and social benefit. He concludes with a call for audience members to share their own experiences of loneliness in the comments, fostering a community of mutual support.
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Jameson told me at the end of the video you're about to watch that it was long and needed to be more structured and therefore should be edited. And usually I agree with Jameson on everything. I probably agree with him on that even. I still told him no. I felt it was more important for this to just be raw and uncut. and for you to see it as it was. Not every video is like this that I do. Many of them are far more structured, but for this one I didn't care. So you're welcome for the good and the bad in this video. I was watching a video interview recently with Kid Cudi, the rapper, and he was asked if he could change anything about the rap game, what would he change? and he said, I would change this rhetoric about money and hoes that none of us can relate to. And I would actually have people rap about real relatable things that people are going through so that we can feel less alone, because loneliness is a killer. And I thought about that. And it sort of, it gave me a new, I think an inspiration that's always been there for my videos, but it put it in a new way for me or it reminded me, I guess, that if nothing else, I want the things that we put out there, me and Jamison, to make people feel a little bit less alone. And far from saying that in a patronizing way, like, oh, there's all these lonely people out there and we need to help them. I don't mean that at all. I think we all get lonely at times. And loneliness is a killer. We don't talk about it enough. You know, we talk about people's certain insecurities that are popular to talk about. We talk about our goals and the things we want to achieve. We talk about some of the things we're struggling with day to day that we don't feel embarrassed to talk about struggling with. But I think loneliness is one of those things that many of us are embarrassed to talk about. And that's a shame because it's one of the most widespread causes of pain amongst all of us. We live in a time when I think there is, I don't want to be too grandiose in saying this, but there's almost this, I think, a kind of epidemic of loneliness at a time when every tool we have at our disposal is masking that epidemic. We have so many ways to connect with each other and to reach out to the world. I have an Instagram following, a Twitter following, Facebook following, Periscope following now, like we needed one more way to connect. YouTube following. When I go to my tours, I have hundreds or sometimes even thousands of people come out to see me. And I'm not Much as I appreciate it, and believe me I do, I'm not sure any of it has made me less lonely. I have had the experience, the very cliched experience I suppose, of leaving a tour event of a thousand people and going back home and feeling just as lonely, if not lonelier, than when I woke up that morning. I think the sad or perhaps the very insidious part about loneliness is we feel it's something we're suffering with and other people aren't. Because we see their surface personas, we see what they post on Facebook, usually it's them having fun with friends, we see their comments on things and whatever it is, their personal PR campaign that they are running. It's all intended of course to show how much company they have and how they're not lonely when in fact I think for most of us it's the exact opposite. So I say this because there are two things that I want to dispel. The first is I think we need to shatter the obsession we have with other people somehow having a different experience of life than we are. We're all lonely at times and there are many different forms of loneliness. There's the loneliness that comes from not having somebody to be in love with. There's the loneliness of not having people to love whether it's friends, brothers, sisters, parents. sons, daughters, family, colleagues. There's the loneliness of having an idea that you don't think anyone else shares. Sometimes there's the loneliness of being alone with your thoughts. You know, you feel like you're the only one who thinks a certain way and no one else does. That can be extraordinarily lonely when you think you're the only one who thinks a certain way and you haven't found other people like you who think the way you do, especially not in your immediate community. So first let's dispel the myth that somehow we're the only lonely one because I can tell you right now there are times when I'm lonely, there are times when everyone watching this video are lonely and it's possibly just as often as you're lonely watching this. The second myth I suppose I want to dispel is that loneliness is such a bad thing sometimes. Or perhaps more importantly that solitude is such a bad thing. Rainer Rilke wrote extensively on solitude and how solitude can actually be a wonderful thing. It can be something that produces amazing work. It can be something that helps us grow as a person. It helps us be creative, helps us learn how to deal with things. in incredible ways and actually has the effect of giving you more to bring somebody else through the independence that it creates and the self-dependence that it creates. So solitude isn't always a bad thing and as much as I make a case so often for being around other people and making great friends and meeting wonderful partners, I could equally make a tremendous case for solitude and being alone at times. So, I'll finish with two things. Firstly, loneliness is okay and solitude is okay. Secondly, everyone else at times is feeling it too and you're not alone in that. And I think that's perhaps the great secret is that none of us are quite as alone as we think we are. We walk around telling ourselves that we are feeling something alone, but everyone else is feeling it too. And that's a wonderful thing. And what I think it should spur all of us on to do is to be a bit kinder to each other. Because we realize that there are other people who are feeling this. And if we can actually extend our focus, beyond ourselves to other people and say, if I'm not the only one feeling this, if other people are feeling this too, the more I can be kind, even when people perhaps don't immediately accept that kindness or pretend they don't need it, it will have an effect and it will show someone else that they're not as alone. And if there's one thing that bonds people, it's that you and I are in this together somehow. It also makes us more popular ironically when you're the person that makes other people feel less alone. Other people will want to be around you more. It won't always cure your loneliness but it will give you purpose and it will make other people's worlds better. So a different message today I guess and I've ranted perhaps but an important one I think in whatever form you take it. So you're not alone. We're in this together and I feel what you feel at times and that's fine. So I love you, I appreciate you and I hope to be able to hear your story. Leave me a comment. I don't know what about. Leave me a comment telling me how you felt about this video and what it meant to you and perhaps a share a moment of loneliness with us so that we can hear about that and other people can relate to it and feel less alone. And I will see you as always in the next video. Take care, my friends.
