Finding an Anchor in Solitude

Hello, this is Ditto.

Who is by your side right now? Or, is there no one?

We are often afraid of 'being alone.' The world constantly forces us to stay connected, and if we are out of touch for even a moment, it instills a sense of anxiety in us, as if we have been left behind by the world. So, we leave the television on or check meaningless messages, hastily trying to erase the silence.

However, the classics tell us a different story.

The German philosopher Paul Tillich said in his book The Courage to Be:

"Language has created the word 'loneliness' to express the pain of being alone. And it has created the word 'solitude' to express the glory of being alone."

If loneliness is a sense of lack born from the absence of others, solitude is a time of becoming fulfilled by the presence of oneself.
If loneliness is simply staring at the door in an empty room, solitude is like finally organizing your inner study within that same room.

Montaigne also offers this advice when speaking 'Of Solitude' in his Essays:

"We must reserve a back room entirely for ourselves, and establish there our true freedom and principal refuge."

The 'back room' Montaigne spoke of likely does not refer merely to a physical space.
It signifies the deep abyss of the mind where the noise of the world cannot reach, a time to face only oneself without any interruption. Just as a ship drops a heavy anchor deep into the seabed to avoid being swept away by rough waves, we too need time to drop an unwavering inner anchor.
That time is precisely what solitude is.

We live under the illusion that our reflection in the mirror of others' gazes is our true self. However, without that mirror, we can finally begin to trace the contours of our real face.

Both the biblical prophet Elijah and the enlightened Buddha faced the most profound truths within the silence of the wilderness and beneath the Bodhi tree. There is a sound that can never be heard in a noisy marketplace. That is the very voice of your soul.

Have you gifted yourself a moment of stillness today?

Have you perhaps been hiding behind the word 'loneliness,' turning a blind eye to the wonderful, healing time of solitude?

For a moment right now, unplug the cord that connects you to the world and embrace the silence.
Does that silence feel unsettling, or peaceful?
That feeling is the exact current address of your inner self.
Tonight, try dropping a quiet anchor in your room.

At that deep, unwavering bottom, I hope you can fully face yourself.
Solitude is not isolation; it is a homecoming to oneself.

Have a peaceful night.

This was Ditto.