The Fine Line Between Solitude and Loneliness

Moodboards by Me

This is the key to prospering in life & love

7 wrong reasons to get married

http://allwomenstalk.com/7-wrong-reasons-to-get-married/2/

Enlightening concepts that I enjoyed while reading Simone Weil on Society and Solitude

Idea: 
Solitude should not make the individual feel as if they are above "the social group" or too good to converse with others but it should allow the individual to let go of his/her ego.  The idea is to escape social life in a way and to mentally rise about believing that you need social life for validation or purpose etc.  However, solitude is necessary for serenity of the mind and for the sake of productivity.  One who fully understands the meaning of solitude can rise "above social life and return to it when he/she wishes."  This idea that Simone Weil discusses relates to Emerson's idea of "spiritual elevation" which means being about to rise above it all; time, work, stress, society, social standards, the expectations of others, etc in a modest and non-egotistic manner.


Quotations:

"De-create the created false earthly social identity that society convinces you to accept and instead embrace transcendent presence in the impersonal"  
Weil's definition of "the impersonal": being able to voluntarily let go of or the renunciation of ego.

"Solitude, on the other hand is the state of being alone without being lonely and can lead to self-awareness."


My Interpretation of Simone Weil's  Theories:

Weil desired to be alone due to the traumatic events that were occurring in the world.  She recognized that being alone meant having time to concentrate on her spirituality.  She used solitude as a survival mechanism in the ever changing, ever disappointing, and ever unreliable world that we live in.  One is in solitude when they are physically alone but solitude is also very much about he individual's mental state.  Being in solitude and understanding solitude will allow an individual to block everything out and focus on what is important.  The individual will be able to grow due to little or no distractions.  Mental control essential.

Quotations that I enjoyed while reading a summary on the work of Ralph Waldo Emerson

- "...And because we are dressed in arts and institutions; as he puts it, it is easy to feel functional, to feel whole and self-sufficient by flowing with society's standards. ...In the world, solitude is impractical and society is fatal."

- "The integrity of our mind, as Emerson puts it will be the validating criterion for our lives."

- "What we discover in ourselves becomes compelling because it constantly reinforces our strengths, abilities, and will. ...A great man is able  to remain to himself in the midst of the crowd and remembers to live after his own opinion."

My FAVORITE QUOTE!
- "Nature is the model for primary wisdom.  Nature does not refer back to authority or precedent. But man postpones or remembers; he does not live in the present but with reverted eye laments the past or needless of the riches that surround him, stands on tiptoe to foresee the future.  He cannot be happy and strong until he too lives with nature in the present, above time.  Only with maturation of these virtues can our solitude be truly functional.  At that point 'your isolation must not be mechanical but spiritual, that is, must be elevation.' ...The individual will manifest to others a higher ethic, 'eternal law' versus social conformity."

my motivation for doing this project

Written By: Me

My Notes (a continuation of my research)

Written April 4, 2011                      p.1

notes on meditation                                                             p.2-3

notes on meditation cont'd                                                  p.4-5

notes on meditation cont'd                                                  p.6-7

draft of interview questions                                               p.8-9

       p.10-11

April 6, 2011 in class notes                                            p.12-13

in class notes cont'd                                                       p.14-15

 Quotations for inspiration

I have never found a companion that was so companionable as solitude. We are for the most part more lonely when we go abroad among men than when we stay in our chambers. A man thinking or working is always alone, let him be where he will.
Henry David Thoreau

I live in that solitude which is painful in youth, but delicious in the years of maturity.
Albert Einstein

 

The monotony and solitude of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind.
Albert Einstein  

I can write best in the silence and solitude of the night, when everyone has retired.
Zane Grey

 

Solitude is strength; to depend on the presence of the crowd is weakness. The man who needs a mob to nerve him is much more alone than he imagines.
Paul Brunton

The best thinking has been done in solitude. The worst has been done in turmoil.
Thomas A. Edison

  

There are days when solitude is a heady wine that intoxicates you with freedom, others when it is a bitter tonic, and still others when it is a poison that makes you beat your head against the wall.
Sidonie Gabrielle Colette

 

Whosoever is delighted in solitude is either a wild beast or a god.
Aristotle

Read more: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/solitude_6.html#ixzz1ImbRZSj0

 

My Notes (brainstorming session with in class group)

Just a moodboard I created :)
All of these images relate to a few of the themes I researching.  (ex: yoga, tai chi, monasteries, solitude and man's connection to nature, relaxation and healing, etc.

In the process of researching the healing benefits of solitude I have began to read Thoughts in Solitude by Thomas Merton.  So far the book is...interesting.  Merton is a very metaphorical writer but I can appreciate that.  He is writing about how one can grow spiritually by secluding themselves from others and disregarding the ideas of conformity.  He refers to the desert as a metaphor for having the ultimate relationship with God.  In the desert there is a lack of man made creations, people, distractions, etc.  Anyone there is detached from society and is basically alone with his Creator.
Merton writes, "The desert was created simply to be itself, bot to be transformed by men into something else...The desert is therefore the logical dwelling place for the man who seeks to be nothing but himself - that is to say, a creature solitary and poor and dependent upon no one but God with no great project standing between himself and his creator." (pg 5 Thoughts in Solitude)

Recently, I have desired to be alone.  I have wanted to be in complete silence.  I have had no desire to have company or to have conversations with friends and family.  However, achieving privacy in New York City is nearly impossible.  I spend most of my days surrounded by other people.  Whether or not I am in class, at work, interning, in my room (i have roommates), or simply commuting I always find myself in the company of someone else.

I felt guilty and selfish for not wanting to speak to others and not wanting to listen to their stories. However, I managed to justify my feelings by telling myself that everyone needs time to themselves every once in a while.  It is important to reflect on the day and to think and dream without outside distractions.  This is how I've been maintaining my sanity.  Solitude doesn't have to mean that you are lonely.  Being in solitude can be the perfect opportunity to learn, discover, and grow...just me, myself, and I.

"...the capacity to be alone is an aspect of emotional maturity." - Anthony Storr author of Solitude: A Return To Self.