Solitude

Solitude. Just the word will bring about different emotions in various people. To some, the thought of ’solitary confinement’ comes into their mind and the ideal of solitude is a term of torture. Something to be avoided at all costs. But to others, I include myself in this group, ’solitude’ carries the ideal of quiet and peacefulness.

It occurs to me that people are very different in their natures, not that there is a “right” or “wrong” when it comes to what we prefer in our social lives. Some people thrive on lots of social activity and just love interacting with a crowd. Personally, a lot of socializing wears me out and leaves me exhausted. I am not alone in my reaction to a lot of social mingling. Maybe this is why I have been called a “hermit” from time to time. I am not offended by the accusation, even though it is not true in reality, it might be somewhat true in ‘personality’. By that I mean the very thought of living a solitary hermit’s life does not offend my sense of social responsibility.

When people think of hermits, they generally imagine a religious monk living in some sort of cave, in filthy conditions, having fallen over the edge when it comes to mental stability. That is the common image we get from Hollywood and most literature on the subject.

There are lots of reasons why some people withdraw from society, not all of those reasons can be considered “bad”. I suppose it depends on the perspective. In fact, the first Christian hermits are thought to have been in Egypt and they withdrew to the desert in order to escape severe religious persecution. Evidently some of them came to like the solitary places and just stayed after the danger had passed, or else, as is sometimes presented in history books, they went insane and were not fit to return to society. Maybe ’solitude’ is a way to test the stability of a person?

There is however, a big difference in “periods of solitude” and “permanent solitude” as in those who are true hermits. Often people who have lived alone in wild parts of the world are called hermits, when in fact they were not hermits at heart, but only people who are able to adjust to long periods of solitary work.

I doubt that there was ever a piece of great literature written in a crowded room. Any of the great writers I have learned of, always needed a quiet place to do their work. That is solitude, even if it is only a few hours in a day or a few days a week.

The true “hermit” on the other hand is a person who feels the need to remove himself or herself from all society, for whatever reason. Sometimes it is a mental condition, at other times I suspect they find the society of the natural world more desirable than the society of humans. After all, there is a lot less complications dealing with a ‘block of wood’ than with another person.
I have met some people who really should have been hermits, they we so contrary to associate with, one is hard pressed to figure how they could function among other people.

I find some solitude to be a healthy thing. It can do us no harm to take personal stock or read a good book in a quiet uninterrupted environment. Some people act as if they are “afraid” to be alone by themselves for even a few minutes in a crowded room. I don’t know if they are actually fearful of meeting ‘themselves’ or if they need ‘attention’ at all times, but when I meet people like this, I pity them, for they are so overbearing, that the very thing they crave, society, avoids them because of their self-centered attitude. We usually call these people “narcissist” in that they not only admire themselves above all others, but they expect everyone else to admire them too.

As in all things, a balance is the healthiest for our welfare. Man was not created to be alone at all times, that is not built into our genetic makeup. It is an anomaly in humans to be ’true hermits’ that abhor other people altogether, but it is also just as abnormal for a ’narcissist’ to demand constant attention from everyone around them.

Thankfully we live in a country that allows us to choose where and how we live. It would be very difficult for me to live in a large city and be constantly elbow to elbow with people. It would be hard to imagine myself being content with all that noise and motion, with no place to escape, even for a little while.
I could not describe myself as a “hermit”, but I do like some solitude.
Here is a poem that I have seen in different places that sums up my feeling for some solitude, I don’t know the author or I would give them credit.

“Sweet clean air from east to west, and room to go and come, I loved my
fellow man the best, when he was scattered some”.