What is solitude ? Why many of us fear it ? and why others seek it so fervently ?
We often confuse solitude with loneliness , when in reality they are very different .
Loneliness is never a state in which is voluntarily immersed into it . Its a state imposed by the circumstances of one`s life that lead to that condition . And loneliness has such an insidious character that even surrounded by lots of people and apparently having a successful and joyful personal life , you can feel yourself stranded in the grim dark forest of Loneliness .
Solitude is something , however , of a completely different manner .
Mystics throughout History sought it to understand the mystery of existence and the role they played in it .
in Ancient Greece , the Oracle of Delphi had , inscribed in its portico , the maxim KNOW THYSELF ( Gnothi Seauton ) .
Only through solitude we will have the enough distance from the rattle of the world to know ourselves . And why do we need to know ourselves ? Because only by knowing ourselves intimately
we can move through life in a disciplined and wise manner.
We can ask ourselves what we can and what we cannot do . What is good and what is not good for us.
In his book " Silence in the Age of Noise ", the Norwegian Explorer Erling Kagge , speaks of the gift that the solitude of crossing Antarctica alone gave him . The gift of talking to that friend that he always had but was always silenced by the noise of everyday life ; HIM.
The vast and desolate ice deserts of Antarctica made him lose his fear of confronting him with his inner self . Which is a fear common to most of us . How many of us really know ourselves ?
the Danish philosopher Kierkgaard said that we seek the company of people because we dread to be alone in our company . Why is that ?
What do we fear ? Perhaps do we fear that our soul is grotesque as the portrait of Dorian Gray and we want to shun from it ? Or we fear that we are so dull that left to ourselves to entertain us we would end up die from an horrible tedium ?
From my part i always enjoyed my solitude and very seldom in it i have felt alone .
Embrace your solitude and in it you might surprise yourself and find the best friend you ever had : YOU .
