Ten Years of Solitude; Twenty-Four Years of Life

If I told you that there exists a man who has no family, would you believe me? What if I told you that he lives such a life that social interaction has not been a part of his life for over ten years? This character lives in Chicago, Illinois, one of the most intensely peopled geographic areas in the world. Yet he has not spoken a word to a living person for over ten years. Can this be possible? You decide.
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Now, what if I told you that I am who I am completely independent of any person’s influence? You shouldn’t believe me because one very essential fact remains in every person, no matter how lonely or independent: every person needs a family. The reason I am tossing out so many questions that seem unreasonable or foolish is because I want you to understand something that I realized just recently: people really need people. I need my mom, whose warm embrace and sense of humor made me capable of attending the ninth grade in spite of my fear. I need my dad, who taught me how to build things and how to be kind and strong. They both made me angry at times, and I even had phases of hatred, but God gave them to me to teach me to live. I need my sisters, who were there, experiencing life with me and providing commentary that would affect my choice of what to do with my life. Jules’ crying when I had screamed mean words at her taught me how to be compassionate. Shelby’s look of betrayal when she saw my worst side taught me how important integrity was.
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My wife taught me the importance of living. I live for her. She also showed me how necessary oneness is in marriage. I cannot be without her. My grandparents taught me how important it is to be unique; their kind laughter at my quirks encouraged me. My in-laws helped me to be confident in myself: ‘you are a gift to our family’ they told me; I didn’t think that was possible. My friends showed me how to live in adventure, no matter how painful it was! I don’t think that the Chicagoan I wrote about can exist. People are necessary for living. Jesus said, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35 NIV).