All World
Gayatri Pariwar

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.