What is solitude? “The nature or situation of being alone;” or to have none other present. Upon becoming cognisant that Emerson declares to faithfully experience nature, one must realise solitude – perhaps interpreted as seclusion, or separateness – the individual may conjure up a walk alone on a beach or in a wood; or even existing beneath a potent thunderstorm; however, merely these are inadequate.
“To go into solitude, a man needs to retire as much from his chamber as from society. I am not solitary whilst I read and write, though nobody is with me.”
~ Emerson, Nature
This
Soliude is not the meagre antithesis of the mob cited in Self Reliance: severing oneself from the hordes in a joyful act of self-actualisation and non-conformity; though, this realisation is laudable and should be sought; rather, the epiphany that to attain veritable solitude, one must disunite oneself wholly from one’s thoughts: cares, concerns; for these are burdensome and interfere with absolute solitude. And now, we are ready…
Try it sometime!
A Classicist Writes... 
…so, you’re basically telling Theo and me to get lost, huh?
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Uhm…BYE!
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hmmm, thought provoking indeed. Just trying to achieve a semblance of solitude (is that a poem title in the making?) is difficult to achieve.
I recall the comedian Miranda Hart expressing her worry that people will forget how to daydream as we are always connected – phones, tablets, newspapers, tube announcements etc, that we never switch off and just imagine and daydream, that when we have a second or two of ‘downtime’ we reach for our phone.
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What I like about you and Raynor, Matthew, is that; like us, you have to reach for your phone when you need it (Googling at Ulrike’s) and are not attached to it, like so many others. I think you and Miranda are on to something. And yes, a poem!
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“…the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.” It’s sort of like internally screaming, “SERENITY NOW!” yet keeping the appearance of calmness and composure, whilst trapped among the pressing hordes of a packed defaulting D-train destined for a detour.
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👦🏻👦🏻👦🏻🅰🆙‼️ Said detour to the terminus of Coney Island, from where — with thanks to the NYPD and the garbage train — I finally made it home! But that thing — doing not the thing! — was doomed to failure the moment I stepped on at 204th and Bainbridge in the Bronx!
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“Nevertheless I can at least tell you how to get yourselves into the open mode. You need five things:
Space
Time
Time .. ”
John Cleese
https://genius.com/John-cleese-lecture-on-creativity-annotated
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That is really interesting, for how much time do we spend in “closed” mode. I only skimmed the lecture because I am at work — in closed mode; however, it definitely bears an in-depth…delve! So, thank you!
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I saw a photo taken by a dear childhood friend, such like yourself, and wanted desperately to write a poem to accompany it. There were approximately 3 drafts of written words that for the life of me I was not satisfied to make it a final product. However, after reading your blog, I completed something in a new writing style. You are right Miss Ironfist! Nothing beats a little “Nudge, Nudge” from a classical writer like Emerson. He along with so many others had minds and words that were timeless. Thank you!!
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My dear Doreen, please do share this with me; I do look forward to following your written word and experiencing your wondrous gift! ❤️
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