Thoughts: The Difference Between 'Alone' And Independent

"Wow, look at that man sitting over there. He's always by himself, talking to himself. He must be a really lonely guy..."

-anonymous

People. There is a difference between being 'alone' and independent. 'Alone' stipulates that there is a network to which it belongs. Whereas it is impossible for a network to exist with an independent being, therefore, it is not possible for 'alone' to exist. In other words, when a person or node is 'alone' this would mean that they exist in the network but are void of a direct connection with the other node(s). An independent node exists by itself, therefore there is no network (seeing as a network requires two or more nodes). There has to be two or more people in a group in order for a person in that group to be alone. But of course, there can be a group of independent beings, however there cannot be a network of independent beings. Basically, calling someone 'alone' when they are independent is incorrect. Furthermore, there is no way we could identify who is 'alone' or not, seeing as we can't measure what people depend on or how. So basically, 'alone' is only theoretical or hypothetical.

-XJ