I enjoy solitude – it is a sublime experience. It reflects a good relationship with myself. It fortifies me.
Artists, composers, writers, and poets sing praises to solitude; prominent religious figures, Jesus, Mohammad, and the Buddha, have spent time in isolation and the wilderness.
Our affinity for solitude is highly related (due to our evolutionary history) to natural environment. Seeking solitude in the wilderness, though desirable, is often out of our reach to us urbanites. Fortunately, we have many parks in Singapore where we can have private moments to enjoy our own company and think our own thoughts.
Research has shown that people with a high preference for solitude are more likely to enjoy psychological well-being than those who do not. Spending time alone allows for valuable self-reflection, creative insights, and a restoration period between social encounters.
I enjoy my own company. I often have conversations with the different versions of me, “acting out” my self-reflection (on the Shakespearean stage):
All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages.
Talking with my younger self is a playful way of (across the field of yesteryears) keeping in touch with the past and the dreams I had before; it is a way of getting a better perspective into my own life. It is a soliloquy; there is a conscious effort in wearing different hats. I call it “self-intergenerational communication.”
Solitude is essential to an individual. There is a parallel in the corporate world as well. Companies and institutions spend thousands of dollars on “solitude.” They give it a different name. They call the self-imposed isolation a “retreat,” a special kind of “collective solitude”. In isolation, they reflect on themselves.
Typical things related to retreats include: have them somewhere lovely (for example, in a faraway resort); talk about the past, present, and future; re-evaluate plans; how to be more creative; how to grow; and of course, have fun! The same things we reflect on in solitude.
Zhou Daxin (周大新) said in his novel (The sky gets dark slowly 天黑得很慢), “The people by your side will continue to grow smaller in number… you will have to learn how to live alone and enjoy and embrace solitude”. It is a timely reminder for us to learn to enjoy our own company!
I will continue to enjoy my walks (alone). One day I will walk no more. But I can, I hope, still continue to enjoy my company.
Vince
Dr Vincent Chong is a retired Professor of Radiology at Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore.
