The Voice of Loneliness - A Personal and Poetic Lecture on Loneliness Among Young People

The Voice of Loneliness is a social and existential lecture on loneliness, bullying, low self-esteem, and cynicism among young people. The aim is to articulate the loneliness many young people carry, and create a nuanced understanding of what loneliness is, how it arises, and what consequences it can have - for the individual as well as for society. The lecture also seeks to reduce the shame often associated with loneliness and make it easier for young people to reach out for help.

Parents, teachers, and professionals gain perspectives on how to talk with young people about loneliness - even without necessarily using the word. Lecturer Isaac Shaker Abadi combines social work, philosophical, and psychological knowledge with research and statistics, and shares his own experiences through poetic poetry readings on bullying, cynicism, and low self-esteem.

The lecture addresses, among other things, the difference between being alone and being lonely, why loneliness does not disappear simply by making more friends, and how bullying and social exclusion can shape relationships far into adulthood. In addition, existential perspectives on responsibility, forgiveness, and compassion are explored. It draws on, among others, Mathias Lasgaard and Heidi Mortensen's book Lonely Youth (2024), Lars Svendsen's The Philosophy of Loneliness (2017), and perspectives inspired by Søren Kierkegaard.

Isaac Shaker Abadi is a social work student and author with personal experience of loneliness and bullying. He has published the poetry collection The Letters I Wrote When No One Was Listening. The lecture takes place on the 5th floor, Loftet, in Valby Kulturhus. The event is free but requires registration.