When I share with people in my life what I receive most when I am in solitude, I often hear comments like ‘don’t you feel lonely and sad?’ You look lonely? There is probably something wrong with your relationships? I mean who wants to be alone, don’t you feel bored? Don’t you feel like you are missing out on things and wasting your time by sitting still?
The only answer I have for them is — It’s a gift from God, why should I reject it?
My three decades of life have been all about completing studies, getting jobs, managing time and relationships, looking productive, making friends, engaging in trends, and obligating social media. It was a constant mental conversation about Me Vs them and life became all about keeping up with the world’s defined status quo. The life force energy was always following outside nurturing the external priorities and draining my vitality.
For me the practice of being in solitude doesn’t mean that you disown everything, get into your comfort zone and become a hermit for life. In fact, I believe it is contrary in nature. Whenever I choose solitude, I choose to step out of my comfort zone. The experience of being in solitude is like a butterfly effect, you start seeing things about yourself that you otherwise would not see in your comfort zone. The space is uncomfortable. It makes you take responsibility for everything in your life. You are no more using the scale of blaming or shaming but you are on a treadmill of claiming your experiences. This is the point where the real person inside you shows up, not sure whether good or evil but you definitely start to discover your wins and mistakes, your own points of strengths and weaknesses, your reasons for sadness and happiness, your relationship with yourself and your ability to transform dust into gold. The process helps you claim back your life force energy to nourish your internal priorities like health, self-love and respect, desires, passion, and purpose.
The concept of solitude is not much welcomed in today’s world that is because we live in an internet world, and it makes us feel that quietness and solitude are a problem. Loneliness or separating yourself from others is wrong and scary. Boredom is a curse when all pleasures and entertainment are available at one click. We need to be engaged with the world 24/7 and 365 days obligating the large crowd on our phone or physical network, telling them everything that is going on in our life, and making an impression in the outer world otherwise you are non-existent.
I mean, Why the pressure? Why follow others’ opinions like prescriptions for an awesome life?
Taking a break and exploring yourself through solitude helps you learn to release all these obligations, take your control from the hands of the world and empower yourself to sit and find out what is your natural world. What is that you want from your life? This is the superpower only available to humankind- The gift.
