One of the things i notice in some of my friends is almost a compulsive need to be social and to be engaged in some social activity at all times s if being alone is a huge source of pain…..Incidentally, some of these same people are also very unhappy with their lives, jobs etc. and are always looking for a break……I feel this compulsive need to be stimulated at all times is a form of escapism to block out the pain of having to deal with the core problems in your life…….

At the end of the day, I really think only in solitude can we truly reflect on our lives and see if the direction our lives are taking is what we really want wherther in material or spiritual terms ….

I’m a friendly person, and I can be social with the best of them, but I am at my core an introvert which means I have to have time alone to recharge or I will end up a sick, twitching, jittery mess from not being able to decompress. I’m at my happiest when in my own company. I love all that sitting around with friends talking nonsense thing, but silence nourishes me more than social contact can. I only wish that the Netherlands where I lived was a little less densely populated so that if I did take a hike, I wouldn’t have to share the woods with literally thousands of others. And their kids. And their dogs.

I think that I cannot preserve my health and spirits, unless I spend four hours a day at least – and it is commonly more than that – sauntering through the woods and over the hills and fields, absolutely free from all worldly engagements. ~Henry David Thoreau

I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion. ~Henry David Thoreau

But, back on point. I go fishing with the in-laws way up in Ontario every few years. We are literally probably the only people withing 50 miles on the lake. Although there is interaction with the relatives, we are completely unplugged from the outside world. It is fantastic. Talk about down time. No texts, or email, or tv, or sports…nothing – except fishing, drinking beer and bonfires. Very primal. Going in about 4 weeks. Can’t wait.