The American Definition of "Solitude"

“Solitude:” the state of being…


What does it mean again?

It means that Americans have forgotten how to be alone. Today, solitude is being without any other physical person – this does not exclude electronic communications.

People consider themselves to be alone when they are sitting in their room, talking on the phone to a friend or chatting online to goodness knows how many other people.

Just because there isn’t another person in the room with you, it doesn’t mean you are experiencing solitude.

Here dictionary.com’s definition of the word: “1. the state of being or living alone; seclusion 2. remoteness form habitations, as of a place; absence of human activity.”

In order to fulfill this definition and experience real solitude, that would require giving up a few things.

Imagine a day where you don’t have access to other people 24/7. I’m not suggesting that everyone should go into a dark room deprived of stimulation or entertainment and throw away the key (although that would be interesting). What I propose is a simple way to sever the electrical umbilical cord and learn how to be by yourself.

Go on a walk for a few hours, by yourself, and leave your cell phone, iPod, book and cash at home. Sounds easy, right? No. Think about it: could you spend an entire day without any of these things? If the answer is “yes,” you can stop reading. If the answer is “no,” you’re part of a large percent of the American population that are crowded into the same boat.

Americans don’t know how to be alone, and because of constant companions like cell phones and iPods, no one has to be.

Stimulation is necessary, and so are distractions. Cell phones are probably the worst solitude killers. It’s too easy to call your mother or your friend while walking form point A to point B. For many people, their cell phone is akin to a security blanket. And then, when you’re feeling lonely and just want to talk to someone, that’s what texting is for.

“Texting:” a method of covert communication that allows one to carry multiple conversations at once: generally resulting in detachment from real life and real people.

A genius invention.

So what’s the moral of the story? Don’t be an American who falls into the trap of constant connectivity. Fight the force – believe that you can be alone and not go insane. Have a little faith and learn how to be by yourself, it’s a good life skill – “I Am Legend” taught us that.