Living Lonely Together – A Spiritual Story by Osho

I have heard about a hunter who got lost in the jungle. For three days he could not find anybody to ask for the way out, and he was becoming more and more panicky — three days of no food and three days of constant fear of wild animals.

For three days he was not able to sleep; he was sitting awake on some tree, afraid he may be attacked. There were snakes, there were lions, there were wild animals.

After the third day, the fourth day early in the morning, he saw a man sitting under a tree. You can imagine his joy. He rushed, he hugged the man, and he said, “What joy!”

And the other man hugged him, and both were immensely happy. Then they asked each other, “Why are you so ecstatic?”

The first said, “I was lost and I was waiting to meet somebody.”

And the other said, “I am also lost and I am waiting to meet somebody. But if we are both lost then the ecstasy is just foolish. So now we will be lost together!”

That’s what happens: you are lonely, the other is lonely — now you meet. First the honeymoon: that ecstasy that you have met the other, now you will not be lonely any more. But within three days, or if you are intelligent enough, then within three hours… it depends on how intelligent you are. If you are stupid, then it will take a longer time because one does not learn; otherwise the intelligent person can immediately see after three minutes…”What are we trying to do? It is not going to happen. The other is as lonely as I am. Now we will be living together — two lonelinesses together. Two wounds together cannot help each other to be healed. Two blind people leading each other…” Kabir says, both are bound to fall in a well sooner or later, and more possibly sooner than later .

Osho – “Guida Spirituale”