The meaning of solitude

By Kim Song-rhei

Human beings are predisposed to feel alienation. Why does this phenomenon happen to us?

When feeling lonely, I sometimes ask myself what is the root cause, and I make an effort to find a solution. The answer to this question is usually ambiguous in terms of philosophy, but I have realized that feeling lonely is often caused by selfish motives or a competitive spirit in human relationships.

Based on this reasoning, when I feel lonely I prefer being alone to having company and enjoy climbing a mountain. I regard the mountain as a friend in the truest sense of the word.

On what grounds do I make a mountain a true friend instead of the human beings around me?

First of all, I have realized that going up a mountain alone to divert my mind from solitude leaves me feeling better each time. That is, when I am engaged in outdoor activities I feel as comfortable as an infant nestling at its mother's breast. It also gives me time to be lost in meditation and to examine my life. It is truly valuable time in my life.

I may be way out of line, but I think human beings pine for the truth of the outside world, not the inner world. In other words, mankind doesn't have a feeling of satisfaction 100 percent with the way things are.

For what reason do we humans seek solace in places a long way away from where we live?

Philosophically speaking, human aspiration for external places has its origin in the struggle for a better life. As far as my experience goes, the struggle inevitably causes feelings of loneliness or suffering.

The level of loneliness at this time is much higher than when caused by a selfish motive or a competitive spirit.

The former case is the suffering that can be accompanied with feelings of joy, while the latter is distress accompanied by agonies of pain.

This is because a person feels somewhat isolated from the world. This phenomenon, in a strict sense, also takes place as a consequence of human desire. Namely, human ambition is inclined to exceed beyond reason compared with other living things in nature.

However, stress, I believe, can be avoided when we are engaged in esthetic contemplation of the great outdoors. Namely, if we want to immerse ourselves into esthetic meditation, we should empty our mind of its agony.

From an inductive logic point of view, esthetic contemplation enables us to feel connected with others in the natural world. In this situation we humans feel the same as the pure and beautiful things in the world.

Therefore, I believe that the best method to free oneself from feeling lonely is to immerse in deep thought and solitude, and enjoy philosophical speculation.

It may sound paradoxical, but solitude does more good than harm for one's mental health. Deep contemplation of our lives, especially when feeling lonely, helps us achieve emotional stability and gives us a chance to meet lots of pure and beautiful friends in nature.

Philosophically speaking, being fond of solitude, in the true sense of the word, is not only an act of getting rid of distracting thoughts, but also serves as an impetus to become conscious of one's deficiencies.

The writer lives in Gwanak-gu, Seoul. His email address is kwanak11@hanmail.net.

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