“In solitude, we affirm and renew our direct experience of thorough, undeniable presence. But life is so much more than our individual experience. And so, through relationship, we absorb and integrate the experience and presence of others.
Whales and dolphins are great teachers in how we move from solitude to community and back. These mammoth creatures are air-breathing, which is quite miraculous. And though they can stay submerged for long periods of time, they must surface to breathe or they will die. But they can’t stay on the surface indefinitely because they must be immersed in the deep or they will die.
This is a helpful metaphor for how we, as souls in bodies, must continually submerge ourselves in the deep, only to break surface into the world. The only question is: What is your personal rhythm between depth and surface, between solitude and community? How do we make a practice of breaking surface to serve the world and diving in the deep to renew our soul?”
Paramhansa Yogananda, the wise Indian guru says, “When you are with others, be with them whole-heartedly. But when you are by yourself, be alone with God. Spend ever more time with Him.”
German philosopher, Arthur Schopenhauer, wrote, “A man can be himself only so long as he is al
one; and if he does not love solitude, he will not love freedom; for it is only when he is alone that he is really free.”
Falling Down and Getting Up: Discovering Your Inner Resilience and Strength, Mark Nepo, pgs. 61 – 62., The Essence Of Self-Realization, Paramhansa Yogananda, J. Donald Walters, p. 181., Arthur Schopenhauer Essays on Solitude.
