S

olitude is the state of positive and constructive state of being alone and engaged with oneself. It is believed that this is when you provide yourself with wonderful and sufficient company.

Quite often solitude is mistaken for isolation for the former emphasizes the quality and ability of being alone with a positive attitude and the latter indicates the miserable feeling of being left alone.

Solitude gives one space to spend time with the self through which an individual can dive deep within himself.

This is what scares most of us for we are not ready to see the real and dark shades of our personality, which, when identified, need to be worked on.

This also relates to resistance to change. The fear or inability of being alone not only stunts the improvement of an individual, but very often we fall into bad company. It’s a freedom for being what a person completely is and to be without any judgment and compromise.

Loneliness empties one and solitude completes one. Loneliness is a curse, a painful, negative state. It is where we feel alone, and cut off and estranged from other people. Thus, we may feel as if we are excluded, unwanted, unimportant, unloved or unnoticed.

Loneliness can lead to self-rejection, and even to self-loathing and despair.

Solitude is a blessing and is a positive state of being. It is where we are perfectly happy to be by ourselves and relish and enjoy our own company. Solitude can help us get in touch with, or engage with, our true self.

It allows us to reflect on ourselves, others, our life and our future. Often, solitude is a springboard to greater self-awareness, greater creativity, fresh insights and new growth.

Solitude is something we choose. It is something that restores and builds us up.

Solitude grounds us in who we are — and that enables us to reach out and give to others.

Gayathri Suresh Kumar
Jakarta