“Now the New Year reviving old Desires,
The thoughtful Soul to Solitude retires,
Where the White Hand of Moses on the Bough
Puts out, and Jesus from the Ground suspires.”
Omar Khayyam
This poem from the great Persian mystic and mathematician seemed appropriate with the approach of the New Year. Beyond the simple beauty, it reminds me once again there is a difference between solitude and being alone. Solitude is a condition of the heart not our external environment. A condition that knows while we may be alone, we never have to be lonely. There is always One who remains with us.
This is what the habit of solitude cultivates, a stable on-going connection to the One. And just like the condition of loneliness, the state of solitude is available whether we are in a crowd or in a closet. That’s because these things reside within us, not out there somewhere. So pick one, and be done with it. If you don’t like your choice, good news, another moment is coming and you can choose again.
As an extrovert this practice has always been the most intimidating and even confusing. But when I feel thirsty, this is where I find the water. When I turn within to find that place, the One is always there.
4 Responses to “The Soul to Solitude Retires
This is so true! I can Go either way, introvert or extrovert, I sometimes find it hard to find some quality alone time especially over the holidays, and i find my self longing for solitude but not just to be alone but alone someplace where I feel closer to God.
This reminds me of a book a encountered recently called “Alone Together” by Sherry Turkle. She writes about the relationship between solitude and technology. One provocative statement she made (among many over her 15 years of studying humans and computers) is that “if you never teach your children how to be alone then they will only know how to be lonely for the rest of their lives.” An enduring experience of solitude which truly nourishes and restores, is becoming increasingly rare, she says, especially for the emerging generation. She advocates for a thoughtful and examined use of technology which is congruent with our human purposes, which forces the question of always re-considering what our those human purposes. As a Christian, I am reminded and challenged not to escape from my experiences of loneliness but to allow them to be transformed into a nourishing experience of solitude in the presence of God.
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