Individualist Voice

Solitude
Getting Closer to Oneself

These days it seems that more and more people are demanding more and more of our time. Whether it's career, family, friends and acquaintances, or simply the daily routines of life, society is constantly knocking at our door, even when we try to shut it out.

Before I declared my independence from society, I felt like a robot, going through the motions but having no conscious control over those motions. I existed externally, my behaviors being guided by my reactions to others.

I knew something was missing. That something, it turned out, was me.

Could I find myself out there, in society? Could I find the right people to interact with, the right things to buy, the right activities to do, the right entertainment to enjoy?

I knew that I couldn't. I didn't know why, exactly, but I knew that I had tried before and failed. I concluded that I might never find myself.

But at the very moment that dark thought came to me, I engaged in an important activity. I introspected. I looked at myself from the inside.

I specifically sought out time to spend alone, to introspect some more. My solitude helped reawaken the thing within me that I had ignored for so long. The simple realization that I exist was the great epiphany that changed my life. Before that moment, I saw myself merely as a component in the social machine. After I realized that I am an independent, autonomous being, I began to really live.

So that's my way of saying that solitude is vitally important to me. I also believe solitude is a basic human need that everyone should take time to pursue.

Solitude allows us to reflect on the most important aspects of our lives--what we've accomplished, where we've failed, and what we'd like to do. We can compare our daily actions with our values and long-term goals.

I devote some time, at least once a week, to solitude. Sometimes I find solitude laying down on my bed and relaxing to the sounds of soft music. Other times I prefer to be out in nature, cleansing my senses by breathing in the the pure, clean air. Other times I sit on the patio late at night and stare up into the infinite darkness of space, contemplating my place in the universe.

A word of caution: It is not enough to merely be away from people. One can be alone and be watching TV, reading a book, working, or doing something else that prevents introspection. Solitude's greatest benefits can only be fully realized by getting away from all worldly distractions and focusing entirely on oneself.