D4. SOLITUDE - THE WAY I SEE IT

SOLITUDE

Solitude should rank amongst one of the dire necessities of the human spirit, yet surprisingly enough it has failed to obtain adequate recognition in our codes. The reasons are perhaps not far to fathom. On the one hand it is looked upon as a discipline or a penance, and on the other hand it is linked with laziness to which it is very much akin, viewed outwardly. A critical examination would, however, soon spell out the differences and show its merits.
Solitude is mistaken for a discipline or a penance , why? Discipline is a basic instinct in all walks of life and while it may manifest itself in desirable or undesirable form of loyalties to certain causes, its existence is unquestionable. Discipline demands sacrifices and solitude demands not physical but mental discipline - a control over one's thoughts and ideas. A few minutes of reflection will convince that far from being a penance the time spent in solitude can become our most treasured moments of the day! Solitude would enable us to view things in their proper perspective away from the turmoil of daily life.
Solitude provides us with an opportunity to have second thoughts on everyday affairs and, as everyone will appreciate, second thoughts are always better on matters of judgment, though they usually are not so in matters of conscience. A fresh appraisal will make us better understand others views.
Practically everyone of us must have, at some moments or other, debated and wondered, as to the purpose of our existence? Are we mere drifters on the sands of time? We begin our life with a stage when we are absolutely dependent on others for our very existence, we have no control over our actions. Slowly and slowly we learn things, learn in the way they are taught to us by others. For sometime whatever is taught to us is right, as far as we are concerned it is the gospel truth. This stage, again,
soon passes away and our intelligence takes a hand. We try to reason out and form and test our ideas. It is somewhere at this stage that the thought referred to above strikes us. The search begins, we start with short term goals and choose and discard and the mystery remains. But in 'deep solitude' one could expect a great moment to come in his life when he could see, however distinct, the ultimate goal of his wandering. The mirage of his imagination would then suddenly become a part of the tangible world. It would not matter how many ranges, rivers, valleys or parching dust-ways (metaphorically speaking) lie in the path. It would be his now and forever. The goal gets achieved or not, is immaterial, the realization itself is enough. The mystery is solved and peace, real mental peace, would descend.
Laziness is deliberate avoidance of activity for some gainful pursuit. Solitude would be voluntary withdrawal, not for avoiding work, but with a view to re-examine, reflect on our day-to-day activities, a self introspection with a view to make ourselves more agreeable and beautiful. Just as the creator of a statue, which is to be made more realistic, cuts away here and smoothes there, making one lighter and the other purer, until a lovely face emerges, so can we utilize the time kept apart for solitude daily to examine ways and means to cut away all that is excessive, straighten away all that is crooked, bring light to all that is overcast and labour to make one glow of beauty and never cease chiseling our image in the public mind till there shines out from it the god-like splendour of virtue and perfect goodness is entrenched in all walks of our life! This is within our reach, at no extra cost, if we just make-up our mind to devote a few seconds out of the precious time, at our disposal, in right earnest however busy our routine. Time so expended would surely then have no parallel with laziness.
Modern education, unfortunately, has ignored this human need for solitude. It does not look upon solitude as the indispensable pleasant ingredient it is to our ordinary life. It is from this want of recognition that many of troubles come. Hence, again, a decline in religion, in poetry, in all the other affections of the spirit; a disease to be doing something always, as if one could never sit quietly and let the puppet show unroll itself before one, an inability to lose oneself in mystery and wonder awhile, like a wave lifting us into new seas as the history of the world develops around us.
So irrespective of how busy your schedule, what others may gossip about you, in whatever walk of life you are, find time out for solitude and bathe in the sunshine of absolute bliss and mental peace.