When solitude envelops your life, do you welcome it? Sometimes, you need to be alone. It can be a great catalyst for inner transformation if you recognize it as an opportunity to go deep within, giving yourself the necessary time for self-reflection and self-renewal. While on this path, don’t be afraid to deviate from the accepted norm. If someone questions your current lifestyle, don’t let the fear of judgment shake your inner resolve. There is nothing wrong with being alone and loving it with every fiber of your being. It doesn’t mean that you’ll be alone forever, but it does mean this is what you need at this moment in your life. And this is what the great transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803–April 27, 1882) explores in a portion of his timeless Self-Reliance.
What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people think. This rule, equally arduous in actual and in intellectual life, may serve for the whole distinction between greatness and meanness. It is the harder, because you will always find those who think they know what is your duty better than you know it. 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.
Complement this poignant meditation from Self-Reliance with Henry David Thoreau on finding healing solitude in nature.
I’m a freelance writer with 6 years of experience in SEO blogging and article publishing. I currently run two websites: MindfulSpot.com and OurReadingLife.com. While you’re here, get the latest updates by subscribing to my newsletter.
