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Why You Should Embrace Solitude
It is your best teacher
“The only real teacher is not in a forest, or a hut or an ice cave in the Himalayas, it is within us.” Tiziano Terzani
Our society has long stigmatized solitude, we equate solitude with loneliness.
We forget that one can actually be surrounded by people but still feel lonely, and one can be alone without feeling lonely.
As an individual who loves spending time alone, I am often on the receiving end of questions like, is everything ok? Don’t you ever get lonely? Why do you like spending so much time alone?
You will have well-meaning friends and relatives suggesting that you should get out more often, or start a family, or even join whatever group they feel will save you from your solitary life.
It is hard for people to believe that a healthy human being can willingly choose to spend a lot of time alone.
Of course, there are people living a solitary life because life circumstances such as the death of loved ones, old age, illnesses have forced them to;
But this is where the difference between solitude and loneliness lies:
