THE ART OF SOLITUDE

“Nowhere can a man find a quieter or more untroubled retreat than in his own soul.” Marcus Aurelius

     The world is full of noise and distractions. If one is not careful, one can get completely drowned in the noise or swept away by its abundance. Some people, unfortunately, are already getting drowned, and they don’t even appear bothered. They see nothing wrong with their state; they’ve not yet recognized the noise as noise. They see it as something entirely different—as something good and desirable. They label it “civilization” “sociability” “blending” and so forth. Great souls, on the other hand, look at the matter differently. They, too, are friends of civilization and of technological advancement, but they are careful not to get drowned. They love to interact with people, but they wouldn’t let such interactions get in the way of their personal growth. They have simply discovered the power of solitude in a world of turbulence and trivialities.

     Those who are afraid of breaking away from the noise, who cherish company over solitude, hardly attain lofty heights in life. All the great scientists and thinkers and writers we celebrate today in the public, didn’t start out in the public. Their journey started in the secret. Every great thing we see today was born in the secret chambers of someone's minds. The great work of art we see and admire, and even celebrate, started out as a dream, then as some raw stuff in the secret dwelling of an unknown artist. No great exploit in this life has ever been recorded without a level of solitude on the part of the performer.

    Happy, therefore, is the man who is not afraid of being alone. Those who find pleasure in aloneness, who constantly resort to solitude are always by many indications different from normal folks.  The great prophets, poets, philosophers, and scientists, whose feats we now admire with some kind of adoration, were men and women of solitude. You can go on and on to mention names, and in the end, you’ll discover, perhaps with some element of surprise, that every one of them were lovers of solitude. If these great souls could not do without solitude, what makes you think you can be an exception? If you must be found among the great, you must learn the art of solitude and quietude.

     Many people are afraid of being alone. I don’t know why, but I just know that people get scared to their bones at the idea of being alone. They always want to be in a company, and whenever that is not possible, they feel wretched. They easily get lonely whenever they are alone. But to be lonely is not the same thing as being alone. You can be alone without being lonely, and you can be lonely even in a crowd. I’ve discovered that many people simply don’t know how to be alone. Solitude is to them a strange thing, something wild, something tiring and, perhaps, undesirable. If you are in this category, don’t worry; your desire to achieve greatness will push you in the right direction, even the direction of solitude. It may not be easy at first, but with time, if you stick to the plan, you will get used to it, and eventually discover the power therein.

     If you want to learn the art of solitude, start right away. Get away from all eyes; retreat from the noise. There are as many quiet places in this world as there are noisy ones. The problem, sometimes, is how to find them. Find a reclusive place, or at least somewhere you are sure of being free from familiar faces. If possible, get into your room, shut the doors, and apply the locks. And be ready to spend some time there, all alone. 

     In any case, it’s not enough to get into a reclusive place; one also has to spend time there, and try as much as possible to ward away distractions. There are certain activities that may mar your aloneness. Some of such are: playing games, chatting online, making calls, flipping through television channels, fiddling with some items, surfing the internet, and so forth. You can do all these and still be alone, but you can’t do them and at the same time claim to be in a state of solitude. Solitude is something sublime; it’s not a time to waste time. It is a time to get the best out of time. If you want to make your calls or chat with your friends online, do so, but not under the guise of solitude. It simply won’t work. Any kind of unproductive aloneness will land you in the pit of loneliness, and possibly depression.

     Solitude requires a concerted, conscious effort. It must be, in a sense, planned. You can’t practice it by mistake or accident; you can’t practice it without knowing, and you can’t flourish in it without making it a habit, a sort of second nature—something you always look forward to with passion, excitement, and expectations. I hope you'll make up your mind today to launch into the path of solitude.