Solitude

Drop That Phone

William Deresiewicz’s article, “The End of Solitude” emphasizes how our contemporary world has evolved from its past. The world is forever changing, and as modern culture begins to replace the old, more elements of celebrity, and connectivity come to the forefront. Man might have always been a “social animal”, but solitude has always been an important value to the world, and still is. I completely agree with Deresiewicz’s article, and his standpoint on what he says is the importance of solitude in our world. As years pass, the need for solitude becomes less and less, and more emphasis is put on being recognized, connected, and visible. Society has since changed from a time of ones self to a time of connectivity. Although solitude is an important aspect in the lives of many, most teenagers do not see this as something they need. Within today’s generation, children are farther away from their religious values, more reliant on technology, and farther away from what is truly important. The world is changing ever so quickly, and many priorities have changed. Solitude is considered a choice, and many people now are not making use of it. Nobody wants to be alone, but some quiet time is needed.

Today’s world finds solitude to be a task, when really it can be thought of as a reward or a break from mind. Thomas Moore, author of Care of the Soul once said:

“It's a challenge to let ourselves slow down. Most of us do have time in our days that we could devote to simple relaxation, but we convince ourselves that we don't. It seems there is always something that needs doing, always someone who needs our attention.” (Kenison)

Everyone has to always be going, but we need to sit down sometimes, and evaluate ourselves. Everyone has time in his or her lives to slow down, but we just need to learn to accept that. He goes on to say that we do not get credit in this culture for doing “nothing”, so it is thought to feel as if we are wasting time (Kenison)....