4 ms·

> I think people who are comfortable being alone for most of their lives aren't in the same category. In fact, we suffer from the opposite problem: lack of sol

by Aaargh20318 8y ago

> I think people who are comfortable being alone for most of their lives aren't in the same category. In fact, we suffer from the opposite problem: lack of solitude. Frankly, I think this is a much bigger problem than the overblown loneliness issue. There are people everywhere, avoiding them is practically impossible.

thaumasiotes 8y ago
> There are people everywhere, avoiding them is practically impossible. Move to another country, where you don't speak the language. There will still be people, but they won't interact with you.
- Aaargh20318 8y ago
  That’s not solitude. I shouldn’t have to have to see or hear anyone for the rest of my life if I don’t want to.
  - thaumasiotes 8y ago
    There have always been hermits too. But if you tried it, you would find that isolation behind the language barrier felt like solitude to you.
Razengan 8y ago
I'm a bit in both camps. I have no social contacts and I often work from home. Most of the time I don't even want to hear anyone, and get agitated by the noise of traffic (which is a constant where I live.) However after sitting at the computer for a while I do crave human interaction. Places like Reddit, HN or online games are my usual venues for that, but they don't fix physical isolation. As per my other comment [0], my Holy Grail is being able to do my thing in proximity to other people, in a beautiful environment, without having to interact with anyone or being affected by them, like a calm park with internet access and something to put my laptop on. :) This usually gives me the best of both worlds. [0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17944802 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17944802
dorkwood 8y ago
I agree. Needing a full-time job to survive means I get maybe three hours of time to myself each day. The rest is in an open plan office or commuting. And it’s not even true solitude, since rent prices here force me to share a house with other people. As long as I have a close friend or two that I can share my thoughts with when the need arises, and personal activities that occupy my thoughts and time when I’m by myself, I can’t imagine feeling lonely ever again. More solitude, please.

thaumasiotes 8y ago

> There are people everywhere, avoiding them is practically impossible. Move to another country, where you don't speak the language. There will still be people, but they won't interact with you.

Aaargh20318 8y ago
That’s not solitude. I shouldn’t have to have to see or hear anyone for the rest of my life if I don’t want to.
- thaumasiotes 8y ago
  There have always been hermits too. But if you tried it, you would find that isolation behind the language barrier felt like solitude to you.

Razengan 8y ago

I'm a bit in both camps. I have no social contacts and I often work from home. Most of the time I don't even want to hear anyone, and get agitated by the noise of traffic (which is a constant where I live.) However after sitting at the computer for a while I do crave human interaction. Places like Reddit, HN or online games are my usual venues for that, but they don't fix physical isolation. As per my other comment [0], my Holy Grail is being able to do my thing in proximity to other people, in a beautiful environment, without having to interact with anyone or being affected by them, like a calm park with internet access and something to put my laptop on. :) This usually gives me the best of both worlds. [0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17944802 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17944802

dorkwood 8y ago

I agree. Needing a full-time job to survive means I get maybe three hours of time to myself each day. The rest is in an open plan office or commuting. And it’s not even true solitude, since rent prices here force me to share a house with other people. As long as I have a close friend or two that I can share my thoughts with when the need arises, and personal activities that occupy my thoughts and time when I’m by myself, I can’t imagine feeling lonely ever again. More solitude, please.