Culture today always seems to be centered around a heavy emphasis on our interactions with other people. Whether it be friends, family, romantic partners, coworkers, or just about anyone else, we are always encouraged to be around other people. It seems to be widely considered healthy, beneficial, and even socially superior to constantly be surrounded by other people, while those who spend time alone are considered to be a social outcast, unhealthy, or pathetic. While it may be true that we can benefit from support from, and time spent around others, I have found that most of my personal growth came from time spent by myself.
When people are around, there is constant stimulation, conversation, or activity, and rarely any time for self reflection, introspection, or meditation of any sort. This is particularly disconcerting for people who spend most of or all of their time around other people. These types of people, I find, tend to profile their sentiments, world views, self image, and general disposition relative to the people around them. When one does this, I feel their ability and conviction to think as an individual begins to atrophy in the shadow of this sort of abstruse group mentality developed within social circles.
Spending time alone allows one to really reflect; even if it's just a walk in the woods, sitting in a backyard, floating in a pool, whatever. By doing this, we become more in touch with ourselves, we work out our own ideologies, become more autonomous, more tranquil, and look at the world through a point of view that is entirely our own. It also allows us to subsist outside of a socially imposed caste system, and to respect ourselves without the need for external validation.
“Have you ever heard the wonderful silence just before the dawn? Or the quiet and calm just as a storm ends? Or perhaps you know the silence when you haven't the answer to a question you've been asked, or the hush of a country road at night, or the expectant pause of a room full of people when someone is just about to speak, or, most beautiful of all, the moment after the door closes and you're alone in the whole house? Each one is different, you know, and all very beautiful if you listen carefully.”
-Norton Juster, The Phantom Tollbooth
