Solitude, the state of being alone; the state of being in isolation. Some people intentionally put themselves in solitude while others circumstantially find themselves in the state. You are likely to have found yourself in this state after COVID-19 took a majestic stroll on the world. Somebody once asked me,
“What is likely to cause another industrial revolution in the world after the unfortunate world wars which gave us the internet, roads, radios etc.”
Like we all know, the industrial revolution did have a social effect on the population. Perhaps, COVID-19 came to usher in a new revolution and in the long run de-structure our social ways. Ways that would usher in a society whose main foundation is individualism? So far the vaccine seems to give us hope that in due time things will go back to normal, but, are we already in too deep? Have we psychologically acquired habits that might be hard to abandon once normalcy returns? You see, we are all human beings who were created to be social beings, our biological setup requires us to co-relate with other beings; we need each other.
I can’t help but introspect and admit to my conscious that: I don’t like being in solitude. As an introvert, this declaration might come in as a surprise. Yes, we do love our quality time, we love staying indoors, we love to read books, we love to work in the comfort and confinement of 4 walls that act as a shield from external noise. But, sometimes when you shield out external noise, mental noise takes over. I believe this mental noise might factor in overthinking leading to depression on the long run. But of course this can be avoided and controlled so kindly do not be alarmed.
One of my friends once gave me a heartfelt advice: learn to enjoy your own company. Believe me, as simple as it might sound, it changed my perspective on solitude. For instance, instead of reading a book because I was bored, I’d read the book because I enjoyed it.
Most of us have talents which we might have abandoned along the way due to different circumstances like work, school etc. Being in solitude might be the best time to try out new projects. For instance, I recently noticed that my walls are quite bare and look a bit dull. Without thinking much about it, I found myself painting a wall hanging. Ironically, I don’t have any experience in the field but the process was therapeutic and enlightening. Though I wish I did this with the help of one of our artisans perhaps I’d have a better outcome.
Call me crazy but I believe talent never dies. Some of us tend to forget how creative we were when we were younger. We forget the skills we had, for instance you might have been an artist when you were eight till life happened. Buy a sketchbook and see what you come up with, trust me, you’ll be surprised.
I’d honestly love to see what you come up with.