Fundamental Solitude

Among the many pressures that people face these days, there lies one that seems evolutionarily unprecedented. I am talking about social pressures and fears. We've all felt the pressure to conform, ascribe, look a certain way, talk a certain way, and in short, be something seemingly for the sake of other people. 

I could write a ton about the benefits and drawbacks and debate near endlessly on whether they are good or bad, perhaps even propose a solution that society should work towards in order to retain the things we want and mitigate the things we don't. However, I don't want this post to be about that. 

I want to talk about solitude. Solitude is often seen as neutral quality, something that certain people possess. Solitude seems to transcend being alone, falling more in to stoicism and sometimes contentment. Of course, anyone who is alone is most often scorned by society, but that's no fault of society's. The social nature of society is obligated to look upon that which does not contribute to it as bad. But many great human beings have found something worthwhile in solitude, from Emerson and Thoreau to Odysseus. People perhaps think that it's because when you're in solitude, you have the freedom to focus on yourself, but I find this not really to be true. I prefer to think of it differently. When one performs a solo with an orchestra, that is a form of solitude. They are lot alone, but they are singular- no part doubling to hide behind, no one to help you count your rests. And when someone is performing a solo, it's rarely only to showcase how good a player they are. The focus of the soloist is not on themselves, but rather the music. This is the nature of solitude. It brings you out of the situation where other people may mandate that certain things be done a certain way and leaves the solidituous with the task itself of simple existence. 

Take, for example, the fanatic debate between those who place their toilet paper roll with the end falling towards or away from you. There's a startling amount of near fanatic passion especially on the internet. People rant on and on about why their way is best and how those that don't agree are tantamount to monsters. However, if you strip away what this debate has become. You are left with only the dilemma: which way should the roll go? Ultimately, it matters very little, and you can decide based on logic. Try it both ways and see which works for you. Or use both. No one but you cares, and you can pretty well decide for yourself what works. This is solitude. It's taking out all the hype, all the pressures, all the expectations, all the neon and noise from your life and focusing on one thing: living it.