I wonder if communities and relationships based on selflessness actually cause a form of loneliness.

There are worse things than being alone and if you meet some of the people . I have known, you will know what they are. Spend time with yourself , you will always be the best friend you have.

It can feel pretty lonely being always surrounded by deadbeats and idiots.

No one is more lonely than people surrounded by hundreds of people he does not chose to associate with - ask anyone who has lived under a totalitarian state.

Humans are social animals, but the unending presence of even good company can be suffocating. It's healthy for children to learn to be happy with their own company, so they can be prepared for those instances when they may be alone, having to rely on their own ingenuity and skills. An individual that can be happy by himself is a healthy, productive member of society.

Individualism can cause loneliness, at least insofar as it teaches you that a lot of people are not to be trusted.

This is one of the good reasons to form a Gulch.

One can be more alone with the wrong group of people than they ever could be by themselves. Today, kids are taught they must always be with or connected to peers. That is not healthy. People require a certain amount of alone time, to connect with who they actually are and what they actually believe. Individualism does not mean isolation, but interaction that is authentic to self. If one can pull that off, then they are never alone, be they with or without humans, with animals or with nature - they will be content and authentic.Loneliness and boredom are self created.

I have always felt strongly that while some yearning
for interaction with others is natural -- which makes
loneliness natural -- the healthy among us are comfortable
while alone. . we can rejuvenate and create personal
values for future exchange. . we can ponder and
rest for competition. . we can simply enjoy reading
or music or study, and be all the individual we can be!
yes, it's a cure -- the cure! -- j
.

I remember my early 'teens. (Yes, I can remember that far back). The hormones were kicking up a storm and I was feeling a confusing whirlwind of emotions. I felt a strong sense of alienation from my parents and others except for a few friends who seemed to be going through the same craziness. Loneliness was the answer. I doted on it. I embraced it. I even tried convincing myself that Howard Roark must have been consumed by it. Such poems that read as follows fed into my angst.
"We'd free the incarcerate race of man
That such a doom endures,
Could you but unlock my skull,
Or I, creep into yours."
Then one day, I was sitting in a friends home and we were discussing our tragic lives when the friend raised the option of suicide. I walked into his kitchen and took out the biggest knife I could find, and we contemplated it for a while, as we sat in a nicely furnished home filled with every convenience available in society up until that time. And then...(pregnant pause) we both burst out laughing.
I realized then, as I do now, that I never feel lonely. Perhaps I'm some kind of a psychopath but my brain keeps me busy even in doctor's waiting rooms. I have come to believe that loneliness is a voluntary state of mind.

Loneliness and depression can be good friends

if one is alone are the suffering loneliness? if one is in the presence of others can't they be suffering the feelings of loneliness? individualism is not a cure in my opinion, however, it can help.

It is lonely sometimes realizing that very few share the morality of freedom to choose. Even those who claim they are 'conservative' choose varying layers of socialism-violence enforced behavior. Choosing the wrong companions can make it worse. I spend most of my time alone but fortunately have wonderful children to share my time with. We do seek the company of others but choosing a companion unwisely can be the worst form of loneliness.