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Conversation enriches
the understanding; but solitude is the school of genius.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Solitude is simply the condition of being alone. The word refers
to any emotion we feel while alone.
The benefits of solitude.
 | It is a time to be ourselves, with the freedom, dreams,
enjoyments, and casual simplicity that recharge us and return us to our roots.
It's a chance to review and plan, to introspect and create, to become self
reliant and re-defined. It is an assertion of our precious identity whenever
we have lost ourselves in a world that is full of people and bustle. |
| Solitude makes our relationships more appreciated and more intense.
After we have experienced aloneness we are more compassionate and helpful when
they reach out to us, knowing that the gap can never be closed but that a loving
friendship can create a bridge there. |
Techniques for managing solitude.
| Reject society's
insistence that we must be social all of the time. When alone, be selfish
and undisciplined for a while, to counterbalance the pressure of maintaining
your impeccable social persona. Recreate your world on the undemanding blank
canvas of the silence and stillness. |
| Find meaningful activities while alone. In solitude, some people rattle
around nervously, needing someone upon whom to focus their attention. This
period of time can be, instead, an opportunity to indulge in the sweet luxury of
our hobbies and special activities. When our attention is absorbed in a private
adventure, we find comfort and a self generated warmth which equals that from a
companion. In your home or office, encourage coziness by adding personal items
like mementos, your artwork or handicrafts, or anything else that is the
psychological equivalent of Linus' blanket. |
| Learn to rely on yourself for more things. Sometimes we seek from others
the things that can best be secured from ourselves. Those who lack self love
seek love compulsively and hopelessly from strangers. Self respect and self
acceptance are what you need, independent from the respect and acceptance that
comes from others. We all need people, but perhaps not as much as we suppose. |
| Accept the fact that you are ultimately alone. In the process of
maturing, we allow the knowledge that we are individuals. No one else has our
thoughts, feelings, situations, or personal history. |
Solitude is painful
when one is young, but delightful when one is more mature.
Albert Einstein
Next topic: Friendship |
