dinner for one...

I ate dinner alone a few days ago and since I didn't have the pressure of sustaining a conversation with someone else, I had time to enjoy my meal and do some thinking of my own. When I mentioned to my co-workers earlier in that day that I was considering going out to dinner alone, they made comments expressing how they admired my "bravery". I thought to myself, "what is so brave about going to dinner alone?". But once I sat down at the bar and took a look around the restaurant, I quickly realized I was the only one there alone. So, yes maybe it is a little odd to have dinner at a restaurant alone, but why? I eat dinner at home every night alone, what's the difference? Now that I have had time to digest the situation, I can offer a simple answer. That answer being the need for human companionship. We all have this innate, longing for human companionship. Whether it be, the ups and downs of a relationship or the longevity of a true friendship, it is human nature to desire to experience the thrills of life with another person. While I can acknowledge this natural hunger for accompaniment, I often wonder if we seek this companionship simply as a way to escape ourselves. To me solitude is golden, but I have known several people that HAVE to be around someone else at all times. Is it because they are not comfortable around their own thoughts? Do they always need an audience? Are they craving for some sort of acceptance? Why is it that so many people cringe at the thought of doing things alone? We entered this world that way, and we will exit in the same fashion.