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I had never considered the difference between solitude and loneliness before. His words helped me understand that they are fundamentally different. "Now and th
by aaronscott 10y ago
I had never considered the difference between solitude and loneliness before. His words helped me understand that they are fundamentally different.
"Now and then, especially at night, solitude loses its soft power and loneliness takes over. I am grateful when solitude returns."
I went camping in an area without cell or internet service a few weeks ago, and this helps me understand the incredible experience I had. It was a strong dose of solitude, which had been missing in my day-to-day city life.
- Kenji 10y ago>I had never considered the difference between solitude and loneliness before. I had but only after I stumbled across this quote on the internet, one of my favourite: 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
- ianai 10y agoSuch a wild thought to me. I NEED my solitude. It's always been such an important part of my life.
- Kenji 10y agoTo clarify: I am not a native English speaker and I hadn't thought about the words themselves before seeing that quote. In German, there is no clear distinction like that. Of course, I also need my solitude.
- hibbelig 10y agoIn German we have the two adjectives "einsam" (lonely) and "allein" (alone), and I guess the second one goes with solitude. So the concepts are there.
- Kenji 10y agoHm, I guess that's true. I just didn't look at them the same way because to me, both feel more like they refer to loneliness.
- tremon 10y agoDutch also has "eenzaam" (lonely) en "alleen" (single, singular), but neither really confer the same meaning as "solitude". The closest expression in Dutch is probably "op zichzelf", but that still describes a fact, while solitude (feels to me like it) expresses an emotion.
- aq3cn 10y agoI define solitude as capacity to entertain myself with or without outside distraction or people. Loneliness is a phobia of what's inside of us. It is a desperation to seek entertainment in outside stimulus. I have gone through year long solitary confinement. It is life changing.
- deleted 10y ago[deleted]
- hueving 10y ago>I have gone through year long solitary confinement. It is life changing. Voluntary or involuntary? I suspect there could be a drastic difference in the effect between those two.
- aq3cn 10y agoInvoluntary.
- hueving 10y agoHow long did it take to come to acceptance with the fact that you were being forced to stay that way?
- aq3cn 10y agoI am still into phase of accepting it. I took help from two therapists and read books by Hermann Hesse and Anthony Starr to establish sense of authenticity and reliance in my life. I would say it is all about finding an original voice every new day. Keeping mind active and sharp while discarding old believes just like old cloths. A person who has multiple voices and an enriched mind can never feel alone. I like to share this quote which always had made be good about my experiences. I know it extreme but this voice isn't for everyone. “We must become so alone, so utterly alone, that we withdraw into our innermost self. It is a way of bitter suffering. But then our solitude is overcome, we are no longer alone, for we find that our innermost self is the spirit, that it is God, the indivisible. And suddenly we find ourselves in the midst of the world, yet undisturbed by its multiplicity, for our innermost soul we know ourselves to be one with all being.” ― Hermann Hesse