No one likes to feel alone.
We do a lot of things to avoid the feeling of loneliness.
Even stay with people we don't really like.
Yet solitude does not have to be lonely.
Solitude can be very productive.
Solitude can be very comforting.
Especially when we learn to comfortable with ourselves.
Without distractions.
Without focusing on the needs of others.
When we take the time to be with ourselves, we can learn what we really need and want.
When we make the effort to purposefully spend time just being with ourselves we can learn a lot about ourselves.
Calming the external noise can help us hear our internal voices better.
Being present to our own thoughts, feelings, and emotions can be quite instructional.
It can show us where we really are in our personal development.
It can show us where our weaknesses and strengths are.
It can illuminate our deepest desires and our greatest fears.
The benefit of seeing ourselves more clearly are immeasurable.
That is something that is very hard to accomplish when we are surrounded by other people.
Being by ourselves to do some self-examination also helps us to appreciate others when we return.
By seeing ourselves more clearly we can see others more clearly.
By appreciating the time we spend in solitude we can appreciate the time we spend with others even more.
There is no replacement for solitude.
There is no reason to avoid it.
What we bring with us into the solitude is what we have to work with.
Leaving all the distractions behind serves us much more than we realize.
~ Sam Liebowitz, The Conscious Consultant