Although it may be easy to confuse solitude with loneliness,
It all depends on your behavior.
Human contact with the best intentions will remedy most loneliness.
Some symbols seem to resonate with western civilization more than others: a lit candle, a peace sign, because of our Jewish or Christian culture Jesus.
I personally resonate with a lit candle, peace sign and the laughing Christ.
This helps me become aware of my feelings of solitude.
When I experience the best solitude is usually after a challenging social occasion with family and friends.
I will walk away to be by myself in solitude, rather than harm myself or others.
I have practiced this habit for many years, it is great for initial difficult social connections.
Ironically, further social contact will solve my problem, sometimes with additional solitude to recharge my energy level.
As a creative person, I have always needed some solitude for my work.
“The Laughing Christ”
The reason I use symbols to express solitude is complex.
Society seems to be confused by the experience of western solitude.
Each culture has its own bias and misunderstanding regarding complex problems.
I believe we are having a difficult time with solitude and am willing to explore more deeply the need in our day to day living.
Caring to use solitude in useful ways seem to be challenging at best and downright confusing at times.
I hope to shed more light on the topic in future writings.
Deep visualization reveals an animation like a comic strip.
With this core focus, there is a deep sleep and quiet.
A joyful kind of aloneness is being able to contemplate in a still, peaceful and calm manner.
It’s like being alert within the mind in your own wilderness.
At this level of awareness, nothingness seems possible, but being alive and happy about it is part of the satisfaction felt during this altered state of mind.
Here mindfulness of the relaxation kind can help relax the body and therefore the brain.
Being alone does not need to be all about mental pushups.
The relaxed, resting brain allows the mind to relax and rest in a calmer stillness like ‘Walden Pond’ and Henry’s David Thoreau’s cabin in the woods purpose.
An awakening mind may find solitude in this kind of silence.
During times of less mental chatter and very little visualizing, a kind of white noise/starkness begins to emerge like a deep meditation.
There are times when being by oneself is identical to standing mentally beside oneself in the observation mode.
Again, it is like practicing meditation to acquire the outcomes like focus, awareness, stillness, silence, calm absent from all the strong negative emotions like anxiety, anger, depression, self pity, resentment etc.
Being alone is a treasure because I find compassion, patience and simplicity.
Yielding to a discovery process I uncover much and learn even more about my interests and pursuits.
Yet, unless society receives a return for itself, this endeavor ma appear fruitless and a waste of time, energy and resources.
Yet, it is fascinating to look at the creative mind.
The closer solitude is examined the muddier the water appears to be.
For example, not all mothers are blamed when their child does not form an attachment.
In some cases it is considered a disease like Autism.
In many instances of solitude the artiest, or creative person will seek out solitude to find authenticity.
Again, this is difficult for society, even the immediate family and friends who may find the creative person aloof or preoccupied with their work and less with their relationship to others.
But it is easy to recognize the outcomes as valuable: creativity, authenticity, truth, science, art, philosophy, etc.