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Importance of solitude
Solitude academic essays
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When I was growing up I was able to experience something that most children, and adults, don’t get to undergo in their daily life – solitude. The Merriam Webster dictionary defines solitude as, "the quality or state of being alone or remote from society". My parents made it a priority to let me spend time alone, without technology, so that I was able to understand that being alone wasn 't something that 's wrong, weird, or whatever else society labeled it. Solitude during childhood is what allows you to grow up as an individual that is able to reflect on the past, present, and to have the ability to make goals for the future. Throughout my life I 've always been someone who enjoys time away from others. I 'm able to think the best when I 'm …show more content…
I grew into more of an introverted person that cherished moments by myself, but it wasn 't until my English class started that I began to take more time out of my day to have intentional solitude. It was about two weeks into the class and we were spending time reading articles about solitude and all of the benefits that come when people take time out of their day to themselves. One night while I was driving to soccer practice I decided to put what I had been learning to use. The sun was setting while pink and orange covered the Colorado mountain range. I was blasting my music for the majority of the drive, but as I was only several minutes away from my destination, I made a decision to turn it off for the rest of the drive. At first my mind thought of all the things that I needed to get done, mostly assignments that needed to be turned in, but after I sorted all of it in my mind I started to have peaceful, creative thoughts. The scenery around me made feel nostalgic and happy about my life and where I was. It was the first peaceful moment I had had for several weeks, and because of that I noticed that I was significantly more energized when I was with my team. I 'm one of the captains, so my teammates expect me to be a leader on and off the field. It 's difficult to be a leader when you feel mentally withdrawn from the world, so incorporating solitude in my daily life has been extremely beneficial for …show more content…
I have many more experiences to go through the next few years of my life, so I hope that I use whatever solitude I get to my benefit. I 'm excited to incorporate time alone into my college years because I think many college students get lost in their thoughts because of their busy schedules, and don 't know how to ever be in peace. College is a time where many students seek out their true identity, and the only way to find it is through solitude. I believe I 'll be a student that continues to learn about myself as I seek solitude in the upcoming years.
The experiences with solitude that I 've had haven 't all been insightful, at first it took me a long amount of time to understand that I needed to focus on the good parts of my life instead of the stressful ones. I 've always been comfortable with silence, so experimenting with solitude and time alone hasn 't been difficult for me. It 's been the most beneficial for me when I actually take time to incorporate it into my day instead of going on my phone at the end of a long day. When I spend time in solitude, I notice the differences in my attitude and in my outlook on
Soledad in Spanish means more than our word "solitude," although it means that too. It suggests loneliness, the sense of being apart from others. Although ultimately each human being is alone, because there are parts of our experience we cannot share, some people are more solitary than others. The really solitary figures in this novel are those who deliberately cut themselves off from other humans. They are contrasted with characters who combat their solitude, by making strenuous efforts to reach out to others.
Romanticism seeks nature as a means for obtaining knowledge, and while Thoreau heavily spends his time in the woods and around the pond by himself, he inevitably feels a sense of solitude. Solitude is not necessarily loneliness or intentional isolation of oneself. It is merely an acknowledgment of the fact that he or she is alone. Thoreau has his own thoughts about solitude in which he writes:
...es or finds a way to purposely enjoy solitude it has shown to have cognitive benefits, enhanced creativity and concentration. It has even shown that taking some alone time can result in lower rates of adolescent depression. All three articles shows that although being alone can be looked down upon as one not being not to social with others, depression, not being a team player, lack of self-esteem to be around others, not a people person, don’t enjoy company or too much company and so on. There is no such thing as too much alone time for an introvert and just because society belittles it doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing. Out in the world it is the survival of the fittest and people who can work at the full potential by themselves not requiring the recognition of others are more likely to succeed. Therefore, being able to enjoy extroversion can help one exceed in life.
However, this leads him into Solitude. Thoreau uses the word “Solitude” because it does not discover his loneliness or isolation. “Solitude is not measured by the miles of space that intervene between a man and his fellows” (Thoreau 914). The large amount of the universe put the space between the men in perspective and connects that to the relationship with nature. He sees solitude as being peaceful. Thoreau says that society is commonly too cheap (914). Therefore, he feels that people will take the easy way throughout life. Thoreau criticizes society for the way it prevents people from enjoying solitude. For example, Thoreau feels closer to God, to nature, and he learns the best thing in life is to simplify. Although Thoreau was isolated for two years, he still had the best of both worlds. Occasionally, Thoreau had visitors to actually come by while he was not there; they normally leave cards, walnut leaf or chip
With the invention of phones being able to communicate easier with one another and the ability to make plans in order to meet up with friends, we as humans have become dependent on social interactions. As a junior in high school, a perfect specimen for craving social interaction I don’t see the big appeal of socialization. In my childhood, I did love hanging out with my friends, but as I matured throughout the years I began to clearly see that there is nothing special about it. As a perspiring college wrestler, I constantly train throughout the years to become the best I can be. I constantly prepare for the upcoming season to arrive. I plan on experiencing the thrill of walking out onto the mat with the crowd literally in hand reach for as long as possible. The sensation of being in the spotlight in front of everyone as the emotions of myself and the crowd reach into my heart. This is the feeling that I want to preserve. In order to keep this moment cherished my as long as possible, I must focus on the importance of wrestling and leave the interaction aside. Once in awhile, I will hang out with friends, but as of right now I have my priorities set. In addition, I love being alone. I can’t explain the sensation of being alone with oneself. It is not exactly thrilling nor happiness, it's more on the line of inter-connection with oneself. The sense of being alone in solitude is to find your thoughts and understand yourself on a deeper, more intimate level. People are fearful of being alone by themselves, they are scared of what magical views they might think of when left with your own thoughts. Even, by watching television or listening to music just being alone by yourself can go a long way. As a high schooler, I still want to talk to people, laugh with them and smile, but before all of that first, become seduced in the life of
I will definitely enjoy the independence of campus life. The camaraderie, which will develop, should only add to the college experience. The courses will be challenging but I am willing to do what it takes to achieve my ultimate goal, which was alluded to earlier. The untapped potential is there. I would like to be given the opportunity to show what I can accomplish.
...rs solitude to be of great importance in achieving an individualistic understanding. He writes, “It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.” Here it can be seen that Emerson also recognizes solitude to be a beneficial thing to people, but he argues that to be able to remain an individual within society is a far greater achievement. To be able to think without the assistance of society while enduring the pressures of society is to be truly great.
The affects have been detrimental to the mind and as the hours and days prolong, it will only get worse. Researchers have found little to suggest that extreme isolation is good for the mind. In a notorious study from the 1950s, University of Wisconsin psychologist Harry Harlow placed rhesus monkeys inside a custom-designed solitary chamber nicknamed “the pit of despair.” Shaped like an inverted pyramid, the chamber had slippery sides that made climbing out all but impossible. After a day or two, Harlow wrote, “most subjects typically assume a hunched position in a corner of the bottom of the apparatus. One might presume at this point that they find their situation to be hopeless.” Harlow also found that monkeys kept in isolation curled up “profoundly disturbed, given to staring blankly and rocking in place for long periods, circling their cages repetitively, and mutilating themselves.” Most readjusted eventually, but not those that had been caged the longest. “Twelve months of isolation almost obliterated the animals socially,” Harlow found. (Breslow, 2014) In 1951 researchers at McGill University paid a group of male graduate students to stay in small chambers equipped with only a bed for an experiment on sensory deprivation. They could leave the room to use the bathroom, but that was all. They wore goggles and earphones to limit their sense of sight and hearing, and gloves to
As an introvert, I prefer to operate internally in order to solve problems. I must turn internally to recharge after engaging in the external world for long periods of time (Personality Page, 2016). This is most evident in my current job where my supervisor is an extrovert who solves problems through verbal discussion; I feel his problems become my problems (Facer, 2015). During these interactions I participate, but afterwards I wish to have silence to contemplate the topics discussed.
Everyone has times when they are alone for situational reasons, or because they have chosen to be alone. Being alone can be experienced as positive, pleasurable, and emotionally refreshing if it is under the individual's control. Being alone and lonely, and even
From my college experience, I hope to gain many things. Obviously college is a time that students can truly become individuals. When I attend college I will have the opportunity to become more independent and to take on new responsibilities. I have always relied on my parents for support, but at college I will be on my own and will have to push myself harder. This will help me to become more mature and will help me grow in character. I have long awaited for the time to be independent and now is the time that I shall prove myself.
"…Races condemned to 100 years of solitude did not have a second opportunity on earth." These powerful last words of the novel One Hundred Years of Solitude ring true. The book demonstrates through many examples that human beings cannot exist in isolation. People must be interdependent in order for the race to survive.
People are defined and shaped by the choices they make; and those choices are heavily influenced by their surroundings, whether they be isolated or not. The characters in Gabriel García Márquez’s novel, One Hundred Years of Solitude, exhibits this kind of development. The novels follows the journey of the Buendía and the Aureliano family as they live out their lives in the isolated and timeless town of Macondo. Through heavy amounts of fantasy realism, the characters, as individuals, are faced with the choice to leave Macondo and return changed from the experience. In the secluded town, the families face the conflict of outside influences and adapting or eradicating the source of change. One Hundred Years of Solitude shows how surroundings affect a character through different forms of isolation.
That is very beneficial because we’ve all been there, laying in bed at night unable to sleep because everything that happens that day chooses then to come flooding into your mind. It sucks but taking time from your day to spend time alone can help prevent those sleepless hours from affecting you. According to a 2014 study from Mercola, “spending time alone can boosts your mood (especially in teens and adolescents) and can have a positive effect on your emotional state”. We all have the problem when life become overwhelming and your mood is just terrible. You feel bad, sad, sick, and so many other things. Many people see alone time as the problem in our lives, when it is actually the solution. As I’ve said multiple times already and will continue to say, alone time is so good for us. So why aren’t we taking the opportunity to enjoy this amazing thing that can help so much in our everyday lives. Spending time alone, whether you are napping, drawing, playing on your phone or simply just laying down in the peaceful quiet can recharge your batteries after a stressful day making it much easier to take on the rest of the day. I personally take the opportunity everyday after school to take ab a hour for myself and either nap or read because school can be stressful. I take alone time before I continue my day; and then when that hour or so is up I go on and start my homework or go to work. I always feel so much better taking a little
Montaigne view on solitude is “true solitude is a spiritual withdrawal from the world” (Montaigne,96). According to Montaigne , a person must create their own happiness and be content