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Life is a an inertial thing for me: If I don't act, take the initiative, set things up, I'm rarely the subject of any other person's.
If I were to decide just existing without doing anything, I have this suspicion that people wouldn't care to reach out and help in a meaningful way.
I feel a deep sense of abandonment.
It's important to find a balance between being the one to reach out and being reached out to. I'm not saying after you reach out once then you should wait until they contact you, people just don't work like that. The thing is, if they're accustomed to you being the one to reach out then they could consciously or unconsciously fail to say anything until you get the ball rolling. As bbrown95 said, "I think that's how a lot of people are, honestly". If you're ever worried that you're the only one initiating things, then I believe you'd benefit from talking to them. It's better than getting into your own head and who knows, they may be anxious to be the first one to reach out, or maybe they'd work with you to have a better back and forth between reaching out ya know? Point is, if you want someone to reach out as you do, you should let them know how you're feeling. If they aren't the type to work with you, then are they really the type of person worth keeping in your life anyway?
I understand how you feel, and I have a friend who is the same way, and has pretty much experienced what you mention here; he never reaches out to anyone, and most of his friends have pretty much stopped contact with him, I believe because they're waiting for him to reach out to them. I'm pretty much the only one who reaches out to him, and if I don't, he won't reach out to me. It's just how he is.
I think that's how a lot of people are, honestly. A lot of people wait for the other person to reach out, while that's probably what the other person is doing. I used to be the same way, as I was afraid of bothering people, but they might have that same fear. Somebody has to initiate the contact, and if the other person is perturbed or indifferent, simply don't bother with them anymore after that, but it definitely isn't your fault for trying.
I think as well, that people are very wrapped up in their own lives and just don't think to check in on each other, because their focus is their own lives and issues. I think they just assume people will reach out if they need anything, though like I said, people are often hesitant to reach out in fear of being seen as a burden.
Personally, I try to initiate contact and keep my relationships with people in my life thriving, and I really appreciate those who do the same for me, as they're becoming increasingly rare, it seems.