The Loneliest Number

So it occurs to me while listening to Three Dog Night's expose on the loneliest of numbers, that one might not, in fact, be the loneliest of numbers. Of course it all determines how one would define loneliness. Is the amount of something directly proportional to the perceived loneliness a person would feel? I'd argue that where there are more people, there is a greater tendency to feel lonely. For instance, in a throng of people that are unknown to an individual -- say on a first day at a new school, or waiting in line at the DMV -- it's easier and more likely to feel loneliness.

And if we go along these lines, in the same way that there is always a number greater than the one you can think of, there is also one number lonelier than the number you can think of. Say 345. Well, 344 is a lonelier number. Of course, the loneliest number in this argument ends up being one so it actually proves the lyrics of the song: One is the loneliest number, worse than two.

All this to say that I don't think quantity determines how alone a person is or may feel, as prefaced by the former of my arguments. Just remember, regardless of quantity -- if you're by yourself or with a lot of others, if you're in the middle of a large crowd and you notice how "alone" and small you are in comparison to all that is around you:

"Man was always small compared to the nearest tree."

G.K. Chesterton

Also remember that Jeremiah was a bullfrog. I'm just not sure what he is now.