Nietzsche on Solitude

#1

Post by pmoriarty » Mon, Aug 17, 2015, 4:24 AM UTC

Re: Nietzsche on Solitude

#2

Post by kfk » Mon, Aug 17, 2015, 8:57 AM UTC

For the first time in many years I found myself in a big group of friends in a new city. Good social life is something I always thought I was missing and now I have it. I realized, though, that my problems are still there. Maybe I had put too many hopes into this, but I am rather disappointed. In fact, lately I came to appreciate again solitude and my alone times. I still think friends should be a top priority in life, but now I also think you need to reserve time to do stuff on your own, it gives you the chance to always try out new things.

Re: Nietzsche on Solitude

#3

Post by yannis » Mon, Aug 17, 2015, 10:09 AM UTC

>go into solitude so as not to drink out of everybody's cistern. When I am among the many I live as the many do, and I do not think I really think. After a time it always seems as if they want to banish my self from myself and rob me of my soul.

I always liked this piece, as it fits with me being able to be alone for days on end, without missing anyone's company.

Re: Nietzsche on Solitude

#4

Post by brakmic » Mon, Aug 17, 2015, 10:33 AM UTC

No solitude no peace of mind. No peace of mind no innovation. No innovation no future.

I think it was Goethe, another great German thinker and poet, who once said: "In der Einsamkeit geschehen die größten Dinge." - "In Solitude the greatest Things happen."

P.S.

I'm not sure if my 'tanslation' reflects the original meaning of the sentence. Please, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

Re: Nietzsche on Solitude

#5

Post by thirdsun » Mon, Aug 17, 2015, 10:51 AM UTC

kfk wrote: post #2

For the first time in many years I found myself in a big group of friends in a new city. Good social life is something I always thought I was missing and now I have it. I realized, though, that my problems are still there. Maybe I had put too many hopes into this, but I am rather disappointed. In fact, lately I came to appreciate again solitude and my alone times. I still think friends should be a top priority in lif…

Sure, it's always a question of balance - I enjoy spending time with my friends, but I need frequent and long breaks, which sometimes leads to confusion and misunderstandings ("Why would stay in alone tonight?"). Maybe it's an introvert thing but I'm often surprised when I see people that need other people around them constantly and rate time spent alone as wasted.

Re: Nietzsche on Solitude

#6

Post by dEnigma » Mon, Aug 17, 2015, 11:01 AM UTC

brakmic wrote: post #4

No solitude no peace of mind. No peace of mind no innovation. No innovation no future. I think it was Goethe, another great German thinker and poet, who once said: "In der Einsamkeit geschehen die größten Dinge." - "In Solitude the greatest Things happen." P.S. I'm not sure if my 'tanslation' reflects the original meaning of the sentence. Please, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

Your translation seems good enough to me, but on the other hand I can't find a source for your quote using Google

Re: Nietzsche on Solitude

#7

Post by TeMPOraL » Mon, Aug 17, 2015, 11:09 AM UTC

thirdsun wrote: post #5

kfk wrote: post #2

For the first time in many years I found myself in a big group of friends in a new city. Good social life is something I always thought I was missing and now I have it. I realized, though, that my problems are still there. Maybe I had put too many hopes into this, but I am rather disappointed. In fact, lately I came to appreciate again solitude and my alone times. I still think friends should be a top priority in lif…

Sure, it's always a question of balance - I enjoy spending time with my friends, but I need frequent and long breaks, which sometimes leads to confusion and misunderstandings ("Why would stay in alone tonight?"). Maybe it's an introvert thing but I'm often surprised when I see people that need other people around them constantly and rate time spent alone as wasted.

I couldn't put my finger on the phenomena until I read that comic one day: [0]. It's about energy generation and expenditure - extroverts gather their energy from human interaction, introverts have to expend it on those social moments.

I keep sending this picture to people who know me personally and are surprised I consider myself introverted - after all, how someone who is seen publicly speaking so often and finds it easy to make friends can possibly be introverted? The answer is simple: I like people, but spending too much time with them exhausts me, and I need to "waste time alone" to recharge.

[0] - https://danineteen.wordpress.com/2013/05/08/dr-carmellas-gui... - first link I found, it's been floating around the tubes for some time already.

Re: Nietzsche on Solitude

#8

Post by Kenji » Mon, Aug 17, 2015, 11:14 AM UTC

Solitude makes me insane. Yes, I am more productive, but I also become highly unstable. It's a tradeoff. At the end of the day, I value my mental wellbeing more than my productivity. But good friends are hard to find, and I'd rather be alone than put up with the wrong people.

Edit: Now I really feel like reading Nietzsche again.

Re: Nietzsche on Solitude

#9

Post by ThomPete » Mon, Aug 17, 2015, 12:00 PM UTC

It's all about enjoying your own company.

I have always seen the ability to endure solitude as one of the primary reasons why some people are successful.

The ability to enjoy your own thoughts, process, reflexions and the self-discipline to stay with them no matter what they are is what build up intuition.

Re: Nietzsche on Solitude

#10

Post by dhimes » Mon, Aug 17, 2015, 12:06 PM UTC

ThomPete wrote: post #9

It's all about enjoying your own company. I have always seen the ability to endure solitude as one of the primary reasons why some people are successful. The ability to enjoy your own thoughts, process, reflexions and the self-discipline to stay with them no matter what they are is what build up intuition.

Perhaps that is the advantage offered by a trait like narcissism.