If I could I would spend the better part of my time in solitude. Preferably it would be surrounded by the beauty of nature.
The splendour of the trees and flow of the sparkling rivers drown out the noisy sounds of the busy city streets. For what is nature itself but a grand cathedral.
It is in solitude where one can rest in a state of contemplation, and be at peace with oneself.
Blinded by the trivialities of day to day life, we forget to admire the beauty that is close to home – that which is right in front of us.
In a culture that tends to place a great emphasis on extroversion, perhaps we have long forgotten the wisdom bestowed to us by the great religious and spiritual leaders. From the likes of Moses to Jesus and the Buddha, all these spiritual teachers sought to temporarily detach themselves from society in pursuit of the self-transcendence available to us through introspection.
For how can one truly know thyself, and be free from the pressures and demands of modern society without an embrace of stillness.
I can continue to ramble on about the importance of cultivating solitude, but it would ultimately pale in comparison to the exquisite words of the great writers and poets.
So here are three of my favourite quotes and reflections, each exploring a different aspect of the topic.
The esteemed poet Rilke reflects on the necessity of solitude for personal and spiritual growth. Rilke acknowledges that time alone will come with discomfort as your mind unravels the fears and emotions hidden in the unconscious. However, only through stillness can one learn to accept and surrender these parts of themselves in order to transcend them.
We can escape from the demands of conformity placed on us by society, and relish in the peace and bliss that comes with cultivating our inner selves.
Herman Hesse
True action, good and radiant action, my friends, does not spring from activity, from busy bustling, it does not spring from industrious hammering. It grows in the solitude of the mountains, it grows on the summits where silence and danger dwell. It grows out of the suffering which you have not yet learned to suffer
Many of us spend our day to day lives stuck in the trance of busyness. We feel like we always ought to be doing something to feel important, to validate our self worth.
How little do we often spend time though on reflecting on the value and consequences of this ‘busyness’?
What can we genuinely achieve without modest self-reflection?
Hesse comments that on the other side of suffering that our aloneness may bring, comes the bliss of solitude, peace and beauty.
It is only when an individual voluntarily chooses and embraces seclusion can one reap its benefits. That is, one who spends time alone must be able to regulate their emotions and rejoin or re-enter social groups at their own will.
Once these preconditions are met, and one is able to ‘let go’ and accept their condition of solitude, it can provide us with the rejuvenation and insight we need.
Anthony Storr
It is widely believed that interpersonal relationships of an intimate kind are the chief, if not the only, source of human happiness. Yet the lives of creative individuals often seem to run counter to this assumption. For example, many of the world’s greatest thinkers have not reared families or formed close personal ties. This is true of Descartes, Newton, Locke, Pascale, Spinoza, Kant, Leibniz, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Kierkegaard and Wittgenstein
Contrary to popular belief, it is not being in the physical presence of others that can subdue feelings of isolation. What matters is the connection or bond one has to others, themselves or their natural surroundings.
We can feel emotions of bitter loneliness while sitting in a packed room while embracing the benefits of solitude when we are alone with ourselves.
This is not to disregard the importance of intimate interpersonal relationships, rather it is to note that there are different alternatives and ways of life available to us. There is no one template one must follow to attain contentment in life.
However, with all the anxieties we face in the modern world, it is good to still know we can always retreat into stillness – into solitude.
The sources I pulled from were mainly from the excellent blogs Brain Pickings and Academy of Ideas which are great resources for philosophy and literature.
In this section, I will be exploring the current philosophical issues we face in the modern age.
How has our relationship to others, and to nature changed?
Why is it that so many of us feel alienated and disconnected in the world?
We have attained great material and economic progress, which of course I am grateful for, but what have we lost in this instrumental and rationalist view of the world?
Finally, I want to look at what is emerging, and how people are responding to these perennial problems. Innovative models and ways of life that promise more than a life of status and consumerism.
To kick things off, here is a short poem I wrote called The Ignorance of the Modern Man.
O’ Modern Man, Modern Man, how you stand up tall with your undeserved pride.
You hold infinite knowledge in the palm of your hand,
Control nature, much more than it can withstand.
Is there anything you can not know?
No place where you can not go?
Why are you so serious modern man?
Don’t you see life is a great mystery.
Is there still wonder in your eyes?
Is there any passion still in your soul?
Look towards nature, and you will find reprieve.
Bathe in the forest, admire the beauty of the trees.
Stand in the stillness under the stary sky,
Look inward for solitude, for purpose and your why.
