T. S. Eliot analyzes our culture well when he writes, “Where shall the word be found, where will the word resound? Not here, there is not enough silence.”
Loneliness or clatter are not our only two alternatives. We can cultivate an inner solitude and silence that sets us free from loneliness and fear.
Loneliness is inner emptiness.
Solitude is inner fulfillment. Solitude is more a state of mind and heart than it is a place.
In fact, crowds—or the lack of them—have little to do with cultivating this state of mind. It is quite possible to be a desert hermit and never experience solitude. But if we possess inward solitude we do not fear being alone, for we know that we are not alone. Neither do we fear being with others, for they do not control us.
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