"Alone is what I have. Alone is what protects me"

Humans were not meant to be lone creatures, instead we are supposed to be very very very social creatures. Myth also says that we, by ourselves, are just a part of a whole and spend our entire lives looking for the other half. Why then, does this one dialogue uttered by Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock have such a great impact on most viewers?

If humans are social creatures,why do we need to be alone to protect ourselves? Why do we choose "none" as our companion, even briefly, if there are 8 billion people on this planet? Most of us unfortunately already know the answer - companionship sometimes hurts and expectations from others leave us broken - we start calling ourselves "damaged". This damage isn't visible, but it creates a scorching emptiness within.

Prevention is better than cure. So, instead of going through that pain once again (followed by years of therapy and healing) we prefer to completely withdraw ourselves from the notion that we "need someone" or that we "have someone" in our lives who can "save us". We pretend to choose being alone (*cough*, loneliness *cough*) and make that our strength based on the principle: if I don't let anyone close to me, no one can let me down". This way we feel shielded from further pain, in the company of our most reliable saviour. For now, this feels calm and peaceful. For now, alone, really is what I have.

Sherlock was a deemed "high-functioning sociopath", and he makes sure to correct Anderson when he calls him a "psychopath" instead. This in itself is proof that he is alone by circumstance and not by choice. He feels empathy, he feels everything, but because he had a traumatic childhood, he sees a need to protect himself from getting hurt again, instinctly, by being alone.

But in the long run, can we really survive like this? Or will we continue to pick ourselves up after every fall and try, just one more time?

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