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Solitude has always been a blessing and a curse The Teeming Brain explores news, trends,
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The history of solitude is thus partly a history of extremes—of people who author is Matt Cardin.
have willingly sat on top of pillars for decades and of prison reformers who
aim to use loneliness to break men’s souls. But it is also a history of the
quest for balance. SUBSCRIBE

The healthiest form of solitude is a exible kind that combines it with

sociability as necessary. Modern technology has made it both easier and Enter your email address to subscribe to The
harder to get the balance right. On the one hand, it has introduced what Mr Teeming Brain Weekly, a digest of each
Vincent calls “networked solitude”. Just as St Jerome squatted in his cave week's content delivered to your in-box
every Sunday:
surrounded by his library, so modern hermits can sit in their ats gorging
on downloaded books and lms or chatting with friends across the world. Email
On the other hand, it has made it more di cult to enjoy the bene ts of
solitude. Distraction is always one click away. And the same technology that Email Format
allows the solitary individual to engage remotely with society also allows
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society to engage remotely—and sometimes secretly—with the individual.
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Giant companies watch over you whether you are alone or in a crowd.
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There is also something disturbing about the way the boundaries between Subscribe
solitude and sociability are blurring. Visit a gym and you see sweaty
solipsists performing private workouts in public. On a train many of your Or subscribe via RSS using your favorite
fellow passengers will be insulated by headphones. Those ubiquitous reader:
devices are double-edged: they can ll your head with babble or, thanks to
noise-cancelling, leave you in Trappist silence. As the two categories
mingle, so the quest for balance becomes more intense. Popular modern
fads o er a reacquaintance with the virtues of solitude: mindfulness
provides access to peace and silence; some of the most popular pastimes in SEARCH THIS SITE
Silicon Valley, the source of so much noise and distraction, are hiking, yoga
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The lockdown has put the question of solitude at the heart of politics.
Social distancing has been a tragedy for those living and, in some cases,
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dying alone. But for others it has proved a strange blessing. Overworked
people have been able to take a break from the treadmill of commuting.
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Silence, solitude, and Haunted by Our The Internet's corrosive donation in any amount you choose:
self-discovery in an age Amnesia: The Forgotten mental e ects: A
 
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October 28, 2012 the Occult/Esoteric requiring a deliberate
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Consciousness" September 26, 2012 July 11, 2012
 
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About Matt Cardin your support!
Teeming Brain founder and editor Matt Cardin is the author of DARK
AWAKENINGS, DIVINATIONS OF THE DEEP, A COURSE IN DEMONIC CREATIVITY: A
WRITER'S GUIDE TO THE INNER GENIUS, and TO ROUSE LEVIATHAN. He is also the AMAZON DISCLOSURE
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