Does being alone mean being lonely? The last surviving member of an uncontacted tribe has died in Brazil after 26 years of solitude. But is a life without others really such a bad thing?
World's loneliest man dies in jungle home
Does being alone mean being lonely? The last surviving member of an uncontacted tribe has died in Brazil after 26 years of solitude. But is a life without others really such a bad thing?
Patrolling the Tanaru indigenous areaAn area of north-west Brazil covering around 4,000 hectares., the FunaiA Brazilian government agency responsible for protecting indigenous people. agent Altair Jose Algayer found something he would never forget. On a hammock outside a straw hut lay a human body covered in macaw feathers. The person known as "the loneliest man in the world" was dead.
Nobody knew his name, because anyone who had tried to contact him had been driven away with arrows.
Most of his tribe was murdered in the 1970s and 1980s by farmers and loggers who wanted to take over their land. In 1995 six more were killed by illegal miners, leaving him as the only survivor.
He had lived on his own ever since. Funai members observed him from a distance, and once managed to film him cutting down a tree.
They also found over 50 huts he had built, and pits with stakes at the bottom for trapping wild animals.
Since most humans live in communities, those who do not seem fascinating. Daniel DefoeAn English trader, writer, journalist, and spy. His novel Robinson Crusoe is considered one of the first English novels. 's 1719 novel Robinson Crusoe, about a man cast away on a desert island, is one of the most translated books ever.
Werner HerzogA German film director whose films include Fitzcarraldo.'s recent novel The Twilight World is based on the true story of a Japanese soldier who lived in the jungle on an island in the Philippines for 29 years after World War Two ended1.
Some people actually choose a solitary life - particularly religious people who want to focus on their relationship with God. In medieval times, Julian of Norwich volunteered to be an anchoriteThe term derives from a Greek word meaning to retire or retreat., sealed in a bare cell attached to a church.
Even today there are similar examples. Since 1993 a Georgian hermit called Maxime Qavtaradze has lived on top of the 130-foot Katashki Pillar in the CaucasusA mountainous region between the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea, including Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and part of Russia..
The writer Sara Maitland believes that society should emphasise what Wordsworth called "the joy of solitude". Children should be sent to spend time alone in their rooms as a reward, not a punishment.
<h5 class=" eplus-wrapper" id="question">Does being alone mean being lonely?</h5>
Yes: Humans are social creatures, brought up to be part of a family or tribe. However much some of us like being alone, there are always moments when we feel the need for the company of other people.
No: We all need to spend time away from others so we can think our own thoughts without interruption. Some people are extremely independent by nature, and happily embrace a solitary life.
Or... None of us are ever truly alone. Even if we are away from others, we carry thoughts and memories of the people who are important to us. And many religious people also feel the presence of deitiesGods or goddesses..
Tanaru indigenous area - An area of north-west Brazil covering around 4,000 hectares.
Funai - A Brazilian government agency responsible for protecting indigenous people.
Daniel Defoe - An English trader, writer, journalist, and spy. His novel Robinson Crusoe is considered one of the first English novels.
Werner Herzog - A German film director whose films include Fitzcarraldo.
Anchorite - The term derives from a Greek word meaning to retire or retreat.
Caucasus - A mountainous region between the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea, including Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and part of Russia.
Deities - Gods or goddesses.
World’s loneliest man dies in jungle home

Glossary
Tanaru indigenous area - An area of north-west Brazil covering around 4,000 hectares.
Funai - A Brazilian government agency responsible for protecting indigenous people.
Daniel Defoe - An English trader, writer, journalist, and spy. His novel Robinson Crusoe is considered one of the first English novels.
Werner Herzog - A German film director whose films include Fitzcarraldo.
Anchorite - The term derives from a Greek word meaning to retire or retreat.
Caucasus - A mountainous region between the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea, including Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and part of Russia.
Deities - Gods or goddesses.