Loneliness may be a boon for someone while
others may regard it as a curse. Some people
are afraid of loneliness while some may take it
to be their best companion. Solitude has given
meaning to lives of some people, has made them
understand the worthiness of life, while on the
other hand it has also engulfed some people in
psychological disorders. What is this solitude
that becomes for some a great gift and for some
a big curse?
Solitude means being alone or absence of anyone
in the vicinity. There are several hours during the
day when we are alone, for example, when we
meditate or sleep. When we take birth we come
alone and when we leave our mortal body behind
and move on, we take up this new journey also
all alone.
Since we are social beings, we like to be with
others, to make friends and acquaintances, and to
associate and work with others. Man feels afraid
to be alone; he fears that something wrong may
happen to him, that he may lose his way in an
unknown territory, and that he may get into some
difficulty. So he likes to be with others. There
are many great advantages in having company
– with the support of others we can accomplish
many tasks and also very quickly. But there are
some tasks that we have to take up all alone; like,
students have to take all examinations alone.
They may prepare for exams with many but the
result of the exam is determined solely by the
quality of one’s own preparation.
True development of our inner capability, talent
and creativity is possible by our own personal
effort and for this solitude is essential. It is not
possible to focus and concentrate in noisy and
crowded places. Our mind attains peace and turns
still only in solitude, and in this stillness alone it
is able to perform well in difficult tasks. For this
reason, spiritual practices are performed in quiet
places and solitude so that there are no external
disturbances and it is possible to proceed on
spiritual path with ease.
Our accomplished rishis in earlier times chose
forests for spiritual practices, so that they could
get solitude, could stay away from worldly affairs
and focus single-mindedly on their sadhana.
Penance is always performed in solitude. When a
person can train his mind with positivity to accept
solitude for long periods, he can attain high
spiritual goals. But when a person gets engulfed
in negativity in loneliness, he begins to suffer
from a number of psychological disorders. With
a positive attitude, solitude results in encouraging
experiences, whereas due to negativity delusions
and worries abound.
To progress in life and develop one’s personality
it is necessary to adopt solitude with a positive
outlook. A person can attain the peak potential of
his personality only through practice of solitude.
In this process his mental makeup undergoes a
number of changes. Many changes also happen
in his life and to bear as well as comprehend
these he needs to focus, and discipline himself in
solitude. This helps in balancing his energy and
bound in discipline; his life quickly enters into a new
dimension and begins to make a steady progress.
Practice of quietude helps to stop the wastage of
energy and the process of meditation guides this
accumulated energy in the progressive direction.
In the journey of life we need to walk alone. If
someone accompanies us, it is well and good. If
not, even then we must continue to walk our way
to progress. Loneliness sometimes makes us restive
and uncomfortable, but we should not fear. We must
try to coax, cajole and prepare our mind to make
continuous efforts even in complete loneliness.
There is no shortcut to success. Every person has
to put in sustained efforts personally. Even then,
only a tiny bit of the enormous potential that each
individual has gets exhibited on the canvas of life.
There is a famous writer in China – Mo Yan. He is the
first Chinese to be awarded Nobel Prize in literature.
Yan says, “Loneliness is intimately associated with
my writing because it is like an inseparable friend
to me.” Mo Yan had to quit his school because of
poverty and he became a cowherd to earn a living.
He had to be alone for long periods of time, while
the cattle grazed and he let this loneliness engulf
him. He got so enamored with solitude that he
changed his name from Guan Moye to ‘Mo Yan’
which in Chinese means – ‘Don’t Speak’.
Loneliness plays a positive role in guiding us to
a state where we gradually begin to understand
our own emotions and also begin to learn how
to use them well in our own lives. Another
similar example is that of Jean Paul Sartre, a
great thinker. Sartre has said – ‘Loneliness is an
inseparable state from human life. None can save
himself from loneliness, and so it is necessary to
understand it thoroughly. To immerse ourselves in
loneliness, to dive into it and reemerge from it, is
an art that must be learnt by everyone. The whole
world should benefit from what we have learnt
from our loneliness, and for this it is necessary to
learn to reemerge out of loneliness.’
Every great human being, whether he is a
litterateur or a painter, a sculptor or an artist, a
scientist or a spiritualist, needs solitude to make
progress in his chosen field. Each of these needs
quietude, and a composed and focused mind.
Such an environment alone provides all the
ingredients necessary for development and plays
a big role in enhancing creativity.
Even if achievements and accomplishments get
noticed by all and may even be openly consumed
by public, it is a fact that their birth always happens
in complete solitude. They come into being only
in loneliness. Whether it is a poem that touches
hearts, or a story that is highly inspiring, whether
it is a special invention that eases everyone’s life,
or a painting that opens up multiple realms of
existence – all these priceless gifts to humanity are
brought into being by deep solitude only.
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