Interestingly enough, I was having a conversation similar to this recently. The conversation, in a nutshell,  surrounded around the fact that an awakening is a lonely, personal thing. A time where many changes in perspective, and priorities, happen. During this time, one can feel alone, depressed, etc in trying to figure out why you don’t feel the same way about things you once did. That is the beauty of awakening. Personally, I can sit quietly and be mindful of my surroundings and really enjoy it. I can view things that I, and many others, deemed as important as not so important anymore. I can watch people act in the way I used to and wish they understood what I now understand. (by the way, it is still hard to talk to people who don’t understand which I think is where the loneliness/depression part of the path comes into play). But through it all, I am much happier, calmer, empathetic, and grateful with each passing day. I live my life through example hoping others see the beauty of life and I hope someday they can participate. The more people that can awaken, the more we become connected rather than feeling disconnected. It took a while for me to be purely happy as I too had feelings of dullness and solitude. People accused me of having no emotions anymore. The reality was I was not putting effort into the things that didn’t require or deserve my attention anymore. My focus went to more important things like meditation, mindfulness, and connection to the universe. This is where true happiness, love and gratitude lie. After all, if things aren’t different, are you really awakening?