Solitude is oft demonized, or seen as a form of punishment, according to most, e.g., Solitude confinement. You know that cliche " Humans are social creatures "? Well, that’s true, I think, for the most part; we are evolutionarily evolved to be social. But as philosophers, we are unique in that we go inwards, as opposed to outwards, like most. Personally, I love to be alone and by myself; I get to experience the fullness of my creativity and insight with pristine clarity. Call me arrogant, but I would rather know myself, than other people; I relish my own essence. During the warmer seasons, I go solo camping in a very isolated wilderness in upstate NY. I spend a week alone out there, all to my self, in a one person tent packed with food to last the week. Most of the time, I just sit in silence, meditating. After reaching a relaxed state, I begin to ponder philosophically. My mind bursts with creativity on whatever subject is at hand. It’s a beautiful experience to truly experience yourself fully. If I could survive out there with enough food to last the rest of my life, I would stay there, all to myself - away from mankind.
I have read of many greats who viewed solitude and silence as essential to their progress and achievements.
It is a default, e.g. in Ying & Yang, there ought to be a dynamic balance of extreme opposites working in tandem.
However, the power of solitude and silence need to be managed wisely otherwise the mind could be besieged by evil thoughts, e.g. Hitler sought some degree of solitude and silence in his Kehlsteinhaus Eagle’s Nest, note the isolated hut of the uni-bomber, angel Gabriel and Muhammad in a cave, etc.
Into Great Silence, a DVD filming inside the famed Carthusian Monastery, it seeks to embody a monastery, rather than simply depict one. The film has no score, no voiceover and no archival footage, the photography is simply beautiful. In 1984, the filmmaker wrote to the Order asking for permission to make a documentary about them, they said they would think about it and sixteen years later came back and said they were ready.
It is worth viewing simply for the beauty of it, but, I believe only very few could withstand or desire, the complete isolation it demands.
I saw the documentary too. It was beautiful and so poignant the way in which the monks lived. Something well worth watching. The Silence does resonate throughout the documentary except for the normal everyday sounds. I wouldn’t mind spending a month there. I could get really lost — or ---- maybe found within all of that Silence and the beauty that surrounds the monastery. The documentary does have the capacity to draw one in as though he/she were there too. It’s also a great lesson in mindfulness, self-discipline and commitment to one’s own tasks.
The everyday world is so noisy and chaotic. Most people do not want to hear the silence. It might reveal too much to them. It can be heard too, sometimes deafeningly so to begin with when there is not the sound of even your own heartbeat. Solitude and silence and the beauty of the world do heal.
Before I began the journey of the agnostic, I spent a few weeks here and there in a place called Weston Priory, in Vermont, run by Benedictine monks. That is also a place of silence, intermittent silence (but not as much as that of the Grande Chartreuse) surrounded by such beauty. Worked with them, prayed with them, ate with them. Of course, I didn’t sleep in the same building, only the men did that. There is this nice little pond there which I would throw pebbles in and watch how the rippless would spread across it. We are all like little pebbles in the ponds. lol I would sit in front of it for hours gazing up at the mountain. I could look at that mountain, called Mt. Terrible, because of all of the accidents which happened on it (I re-named it Mt. Elohim - thinking at the time [I was wrong] that it was the name of god which spoke of creative beauty and grandeur) unspeaking, unthinking for hours. I’ve changed a lot since then insofar as god is concerned. lol
Of course, one has to remember those who endure nothing BUT solitude and silence and for those people, sound, laughter and the healing presence of others is more powerfully paramount than is the silence. But of course we’re not speaking of that here.
Sounds like you benefited from those who you no longer associate with.
It sounds like they gave you experiences and insights that you may have not discovered by yourself. Sometimes we benefit most from those who set us free rather than those who hold us close.
That might depend on the individual and the circumstances. Aside from that, the mode in which we are set free is important and conducive to one’s well being.
But sure - "if you love something, set it free…lol
We can always blame another for setting us free in a way that we did not want to be set free.
We could analyse their intentions and be critical of them.
What would you say to one who was living with inner conflict? And what would you say to the person who caused that inner conflict or at least was the catylyst for it? How would you bring them into harmony or better harmony?
I don’t know if I would call it harmony. But I might call it self-awareness.
Sometimes the only way to break away is by jumping over that cliff into the darkness. lol I don’t mean suicide. lol I just mean that somehow, somewhere, we are able to intuit that we will find the answer and that even when it is not okay, we have the wisdom to find “ground” or to find our wings and fly.
Sometimes what we may actually learn is how much we don’t really know ourselves. What we think we know, what we say about ourselves, because it makes us feel “good”, is further from the truth than what we might want. So, we might not feel too harmonious or content, and we might still be walking in darkness but we come to realize that we are not who we think. and through that knowledge and confusion, we begin another journey into self.
The question is: Would we give that up to gain an advantage or to experience what we did before?
No, some questions need to be answered by us before we can move on. There is no magic potion for gaining the capacity to move on or forward.
Before we learn from the past, we must go into ourselves, become introspective and see where we went wrong and where we were okay too.
It’s always easy for some to think as you do.
lol No, what I was saying is that IF there are questions to be asked by us, we must ask them.
Sometimes it is a good thing to go back into the past or the immediate past though - there are many patterns there - to take a really hard look at them to understand the WHYs - why? if we are to understand things. And sometimes we do eventually get it. Get it?
Sometimes in a way we can go into the future - within our minds and imaginations - there are scenarious which we can conjure up to see possibilities. Sometimes we can and do know what will occur. The question though is - knowing this, why do we proceed to create reality out of that conjured-up scenario, knowing the outcome. Possibly because we know that something is worth it to us - and that no matter what, we need to go through that.
We can ask as many questions as we want and we need to do this.
But some questions are worth pursuing answers to and others are not.
Life is about working out which questions are worth pursuing and which questions holds us back.
Of course, This is what introspection and cognitive thinking is all about.
But there ARE times when questioned cannot be answered by ourselves alone. Would you agree?
And sometimes it’s a good thing to just sit by the river like a Buddha and watch it flow on by - without thinking.
And then comes the rain…
Well, I’m not a buddhist but I kind of think that one might sit under a tree by the river and just watch the river flow by - thinking of absolutely nothing. I think that most philosophers might be buddhists in their own right - in a sense. lol
I’m not sure that we can “think” of absolutely nothing. A buddhist would try to clear his/her mind - try to make of it a tabula rasa. That’s not an easy thing to do but if it’s not forced we can flow into it.
Well, more and more I thought that I was too in a strong sense, of living in or with negative capability. With some things it is easier and with others not so much. I’m finding that out and I don’t like it much. lol
But aren’t there some things, some answers that you would like to have - that hold you questioning and wondering?
- thinking at the time [I was wrong] that it was the name of god which spoke of creative beauty and grandeur) unspeaking, unthinking for hours. I’ve changed a lot since then insofar as god is concerned. lol