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Solitude as the antidote to misanthropy

christopherketcham.com

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Re: Solitude as the antidote to misanthropy

#31

Post by vladvasiliu »

fragmede wrote: post #20
vladvasiliu wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While it technically is interaction, I'd argue it's very different than what's going on in cities. As always, YMMV, but oftentimes, interaction is forced on you in cities and you can't get away from it. You talk about being alone in your apartment. Many people don't have that luxury. Even though they "live alone", "interaction" is forced on them thanks to paper-thin walls and their neighbors going about their busines…

what's frustrating is it doesn't have to be that way. We have the know-how to install proper noise pollution prevention, yet we don't do that (in the US) because it would cost more money.

Indeed.

From what I hear, here in France, new construction [0] has to abide by noise insulation standards, which considers noise coming from both outside and neighbors. In Paris, there are very few such buildings, since it's mostly old stock. An '80's building is "new". I don't know what these standards are worth.

And the main issue is that outside clear-cut cases (say, being above a noisy bar), you can't tell beforehand how well insulated it is.

My current apartment was built well before these regulations came in effect. When I visited it several times, I was very happy: no noise to be heard. I could distinctly hear the clicking of my iPhone buttons. Now, I can tell when my upstairs neighbor sits down for lunch, since I can hear him dragging the chair on the floor. I also knows he gets up around 6 in the morning, since I can hear him take a piss. People taking the stairs going and coming from work also make a racket. Bonus points for people playing the piano.

Fortunately, this doesn't happen all day long without interruption, so there are periods of silence. But it's still bothering me when I try to focus (I work from home a lot).

Sure, as the other poster said, it's nice to be able to open a window, in which case nothing can stop the traffic noise. But this is something that can be inspected easily upfront: don't live on a busy street / around a "party" area.

---

[0] I don't remember the year that went into effect, but it's after 2000.

Re: Solitude as the antidote to misanthropy

#33

Post by bheadmaster »

codetrotter wrote: post #7
pizza234 wrote: post #4

> I think that being surrounded by your fellow man in a hive day after day, without hope of solitude, produces contempt and alienation, a feeling that the humans are interchangeable, that the surfeit of their numbers reduces their individual worth and meaning. In such a state of crowding, [...] a man of compassion is sickened because he is overwhelmed This is highly individual. I actually think that generally, the op…

Staying alone for a very long time is probably unhealthy as well indeed. But go for a two week long stay high up in the wild mountains and breathe the fresh air there alone by yourself or with just one or two of your closest friends or members of family, and I am convinced that you would feel that all war and all other man made problems of the world could be solved if everyone got to experience just a few days of thi…

> all war and all other man made problems of the world could be solved if everyone got to experience just a few days of this one-ness with nature that you are bound to feel in the fresh air of the mountains when you are there all by yourself with not a soul in sight in any direction

Unless someone figured out that in order to keep the solutide in the mountains, they need to own the mountains, which leads to conflict and wars...

Re: Solitude as the antidote to misanthropy

#34

Post by ergonaught »

a-french-anon wrote: post #21

This man has a wife, lives in New York and talks about solitude like he knows more about it than the word's spelling. Lol.

Your snide insults justify misanthropy. It is easy then to decide that being away from people who think and behave as you did, for example by pursuing solitude, may help prevent developing a misanthropic attitude. Even a strange person with a family and friends and a populated city environment can recognize that we need to get away from your way of being.

Re: Solitude as the antidote to misanthropy

#35

Post by brewtide »

Barrin92 wrote: post #23
a-french-anon wrote: post #21

This man has a wife, lives in New York and talks about solitude like he knows more about it than the word's spelling. Lol.

solitude, loneliness, and isolation are very different things. Isolation is physical separation, Solitude is conscious and voluntary self-reflection, and loneliness is the feeling of isolation. The last two can happen even if you have plenty of people around. Loneliness despite company, especially in urban environments, has been one of the most popular topics in art & culture for like a hundred years for a reason.

Yup. In fact, veratasium just released a video discussing this a decent bit in the video linked below...

"What the longest running study on happiness reveals"

https://youtu.be/vSQjk9jKarg?si=k_zU_ua0VlQcpvJS

Re: Solitude as the antidote to misanthropy

#37

Post by a-french-anon »

ergonaught wrote: post #34
a-french-anon wrote: post #21

This man has a wife, lives in New York and talks about solitude like he knows more about it than the word's spelling. Lol.

Your snide insults justify misanthropy. It is easy then to decide that being away from people who think and behave as you did, for example by pursuing solitude, may help prevent developing a misanthropic attitude. Even a strange person with a family and friends and a populated city environment can recognize that we need to get away from your way of being.

Nice strawman you got there. No misanthropy in my post, just calling out someone who thinks being away from the hustle and bustle for a few days then returning home to a (presumably loving) wife is enough to know about the general effects of solitude.

My post was indeed a soundbite, but if I must post seriously, I think his observation is only valid for such "normal" people having something to return to.

Re: Solitude as the antidote to misanthropy

#38

Post by trgn »

lynx23 wrote: post #22
codetrotter wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Staying alone for a very long time is probably unhealthy as well indeed. But go for a two week long stay high up in the wild mountains and breathe the fresh air there alone by yourself or with just one or two of your closest friends or members of family, and I am convinced that you would feel that all war and all other man made problems of the world could be solved if everyone got to experience just a few days of thi…

This might work as long as I do not take anyone from my family along... In fact, everything would be better then staying two weeks with memebers of my family at a remote place. The more I think of it, the more I understand why this article is abou solitude.

Right, the article talks about isolation more as if going on a spa retreat.

In reality, an actual hermit will more likely tend to be an antisocial misanthrope, rather than a caring neighbor.

Re: Solitude as the antidote to misanthropy

#39

Post by falloutx »

a-french-anon wrote: post #21

This man has a wife, lives in New York and talks about solitude like he knows more about it than the word's spelling. Lol.

Yeah, he needs atleast 12 years living on a farm doing subsistence farming while not seeing another human being, and then I will listen.

Re: Solitude as the antidote to misanthropy

#40

Post by bart_spoon »

a-french-anon wrote: post #37
ergonaught wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your snide insults justify misanthropy. It is easy then to decide that being away from people who think and behave as you did, for example by pursuing solitude, may help prevent developing a misanthropic attitude. Even a strange person with a family and friends and a populated city environment can recognize that we need to get away from your way of being.

Nice strawman you got there. No misanthropy in my post, just calling out someone who thinks being away from the hustle and bustle for a few days then returning home to a (presumably loving) wife is enough to know about the general effects of solitude. My post was indeed a soundbite, but if I must post seriously, I think his observation is only valid for such "normal" people having something to return to.

I have no dog in this fight, but I’m pointing out that they didn’t say there was misanthropy in your post, but that your post inspires misanthropy in others.
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