> Years ago, I went to India for a ten-day, silent retreat. I wanted to make myself go where I was afraid to go—deep down, inside my own head. I found it terrifying. Why don’t we want to be alone? Because the stuff that’s down there is stuff you don’t want to see. We live in a world in which who we are is defined by what we do . We are a role - parent, engineer, carer. Strip that away and all that remains is a who .…
There Have Always Existed People Who’ve Simply Wanted to Be Alone
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Re: There Have Always Existed People Who’ve Simply Wanted to Be Alone
#32> Years ago, I went to India for a ten-day, silent retreat. I wanted to make myself go where I was afraid to go—deep down, inside my own head. I found it terrifying. Why don’t we want to be alone? Because the stuff that’s down there is stuff you don’t want to see. We live in a world in which who we are is defined by what we do . We are a role - parent, engineer, carer. Strip that away and all that remains is a who .…
Re: There Have Always Existed People Who’ve Simply Wanted to Be Alone
#33Re: There Have Always Existed People Who’ve Simply Wanted to Be Alone
#34My personal theory for explaining hermits throughout history is simple, these people had/have aspergers. I have aspergers myself, and I can very easily see someone who has aspergers who for whatever reason no longer wants to socialize anymore getting up and doing their own thing out in isolation. I don't truly believe that any neurotypical person, and for that matter many aspies could do it, but if you're brain is wi…
Re: There Have Always Existed People Who’ve Simply Wanted to Be Alone
#35Re: There Have Always Existed People Who’ve Simply Wanted to Be Alone
#36Re: There Have Always Existed People Who’ve Simply Wanted to Be Alone
#37All people (and cultural groups for that matter) are not equally pleasant to be around.
Re: There Have Always Existed People Who’ve Simply Wanted to Be Alone
#38> Years ago, I went to India for a ten-day, silent retreat. I wanted to make myself go where I was afraid to go—deep down, inside my own head. I found it terrifying. Why don’t we want to be alone? Because the stuff that’s down there is stuff you don’t want to see. We live in a world in which who we are is defined by what we do . We are a role - parent, engineer, carer. Strip that away and all that remains is a who .…
Re: There Have Always Existed People Who’ve Simply Wanted to Be Alone
#39Re: There Have Always Existed People Who’ve Simply Wanted to Be Alone
#40There's an evolutionary advantage to having people who are isolated from the rest of the community. And not just in terms of sickness transmission. Things such as war, famine, and natural disasters can wipe out whole population groups.