Notes on solitude Essay

Solitude n. the state or situation of being alone. (syn. loneliness? , solitariness, isolation, seclusion, sequestration, withdrawal, privacy, peace) [Google] Solitude is a state of seclusion or isolation, i. e. , lack of contact with people. It may stem from bad relationships, loss of loved ones, deliberate choice,infectious disease,mental disorders,neurological disorders or circumstances of employment or situation (see castaway). Short-term solitude is often valued as a time when one may work, think or rest without being disturbed. It may be desired for the sake of privacy. A distinction has been made between solitude and loneliness. In this sense, these two words refer, respectively, to the joy and the pain of being alone. [wikipedia. org] â€Å"Our language has wisely sensed the two sides of being alone. It has created the word loneliness to express the pain of being alone. And it has created the word solitude to express the glory of being alone. † – Paul Tillich (Paul Johannes Tillich (August 20, 1886 – October 22, 1965) was a German-American Christian existentialist philosopher and theologian. ) [wikipedia. org] What is Solitude? By Hara Estroff Marano, published on July 01, 2003 – last reviewed on November 21, 2013 Loneliness is a negative state, marked by a sense of isolation. One feels that something is missing. It is possible to be with people and still feel lonely—perhaps the most bitter form of loneliness. Solitude is the state of being alone without being lonely. It is a positive and constructive state of engagement with oneself. Solitude is desirable, a state of being alone where you provide yourself wonderful and sufficient company. [http://www. psychologytoday. com/articles/200308/what-is-solitude] â€Å"I care for myself. The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself. † ?Charlotte Bronte,Jane Eyre â€Å"If you’re lonely when you’re alone, you’re in bad company. † ?Jean-Paul Sartre â€Å"The more powerful and original a mind, the more it will incline towards the religion of solitude. † ?Aldous Huxley â€Å"I live in that solitude which is painful in youth, but delicious in the years of maturity. † ?Albert Einstein â€Å"A man can be himself only so long as he is alone; and if he does not love solitude, he will not love freedom; for it is only when he is alone that he is really free. † ?Arthur Schopenhauer,Essays and Aphorisms â€Å"Whosoever is delighted in solitude, is either a wild beast or a god. † ?Aristotle â€Å"Loneliness is the poverty of self; solitude is richness of self. † ?May Sarton â€Å"I am now quite cured of seeking pleasure in society, be it country or town. A sensible man ought to find sufficient company in himself. † ?Emily Bronte,Wuthering Heights â€Å"Our language has wisely sensed these two sides of man’s being alone. It has created the word â€Å"loneliness† to express the pain of being alone. And it has created the word â€Å"solitude† to express the glory of being alone. Although, in daily life, we do not always distinguish these words, we should do so consistently and thus deepen our understanding of our human predicament. † ?Paul Tillich, The Eternal Now (Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York, 1963 ) â€Å"According to greek mythology, humans were originally created with 4 arms, 4 legs and a head with two faces. Fearing their power, zeus split them into two separate parts, condemning them to spend their lives in search of their other halves. †? Plato â€Å"To Solitude O solitude! if I must with thee dwell, Let it not be among the jumbled heap. Of murky buildings; climb with me the steep,— Nature’s observatory—whence the dell, Its flowery slopes, its river’s crystal swell, May seem a span; let me thy vigils keep ‘Mongst boughs pavillion’d, where the deer’s swift leap Startles the wild bee from the fox-glove bell. But though I’ll gladly trace these scenes with thee, Yet the sweet converse of an innocent mind, Whose words are images of thoughts refin’d, Is my soul’s pleasure; and it sure must be Almost the highest bliss of human-kind, When to thy haunts two kindred spirits flee. † ?John Keats Etymology solitude (n. ) mid-14c. , from Old French solitude†loneliness† (14c. ) and directly from Latin solitudinem (nominativesolitudo) â€Å"loneliness, a being alone; lonely place, desert, wilderness,† from solus†alone† â€Å"Not in common use in English until the 17th c. † [OED] A man can be himself only so long as he is alone; †¦ if he does not love solitude, he will not love freedom; for it is only when he is alone that he is really free. [Schopenhauer, â€Å"The World as Will and Idea,† 1818] Solitudinarian†recluse, unsocial person† is recorded from 1690s. Happy the man, whose wish and care A few paternal acres bound, Content to breathe his native air, In his own ground. Whose heards with milk, whose fields with bread, Whose flocks supply him with attire, Whose trees in summer yield him shade, In winter fire. Blest! who can unconcern’dly find Hours, days, and years slide soft away, In health of body, peace of mind, Quiet by day, Sound sleep by night; study and ease Together mix’d; sweet recreation, And innocence, which most does please, With meditation. Thus let me live, unseen, unknown; Thus unlamented let me dye; Steal from the world, and not a stone Tell where I lye. Ode to Solitude, Alexander Pope.