Look at the misery of today’s man, he either treats solitude as a disease or thinks of it as a punishment. People have started fearing loneliness as if it is something terrifying. But there is a huge difference between being alone and feeling lonely – between solitude and loneliness.
In our modern lives, solitude feels like imprisonment. Yet, imagine sitting alone in a garden, that too is solitude. The reason we find solitude suffocating is because we are afraid of being ourselves. We fear that if we are left alone, we won’t know what to do. We even think talking to ourselves is strange. We constantly need someone to watch, hear or talk to. And that is exactly why no great thoughts, no great art, no great discoveries are being born today; because we can no longer tell the difference.
Our solitude has become a kind of vacuum like a space emptied of all air and matter. We feel breathless in it. But we forget that every great work in the world: poetry, science or philosophy, was born in solitude. There is no truer companion than solitude itself, if only one learns to enjoy it. But if you are an entirely external person, with no inner life, then of course you will find no peace within.
Ahmad Javed once said something remarkable: w have turned our inner vision outward. The eye that was meant to look within, now only sees the outer world. So the moment darkness falls, or silence surrounds us, we panic. We dread being alone, as if we are unworthy of our own company. Our inner world is deserted, and that is why we fear entering it.
Think about it, solitude in a graveyard feels terrifying because we associate it with death. But what if we thought of it as sitting quietly in a garden? The problem is not solitude; it is our mindset. Our society has become so strange that we do not let anyone sit peacefully even in a park. We have made it impossible for people to experience healthy solitude. If someone chooses to be alone, we make them feel guilty for it.
Even video games treat their side characters better; they move around freely without disturbing others. But we cannot even let a person sit quietly for a moment. Yet every great person has longed for solitude. Great work, deep thought and true creativity all require it. Ahmad Javed beautifully said: Your solitude will reveal who your beloved truly is. A person who has no love, divine or human, will always run from solitude, chasing distractions to fill the void.
If you wish to be an eagle, you cannot fly with vultures. The eagle lives high in the mountains, away from the noise. It does not descend for every petty task. Its solitude is its strength. When an eagle soars high, it is not lonely, it’s seeing the entire world from above. Iqbal, Nietzsche, Einstein, Buddha etc. all understood this truth: if you wish to become great, embrace solitude.
Jean Paul Sartre once said, “Hell is other people.” But today, our condition is worse: I am hell for myself, because I cannot be alone with me. Why? Because we have no grand dream, no deep love, no serious passion. We do not read/think, reflect or meditate – that is why solitude feels like an illness, like a burden.
Learn to be alone. Learn to own your solitude like great minds do. Sit by yourself like Plato did – wrestling with ideas. Remember your Creator, your beloved and fill your solitude with color and meaning through: love, art, reflection or prayer.
Because ultimately, the universe exists only as you perceive it, in your mind, your individual consciousness. Even in a crowd of thousands, your world is yours alone. So meet yourself. Spend time in reflection. Talk to yourself. Record your thoughts. Step away from the noise for a while.
You can feel lonely even in a crowd, but in true solitude, you can feel real connection. Books, prayer beads, meditation, love, all these demand solitude. And the tragedy of our time is that we no longer know how to give it.
So do not fear solitude. Embrace it. Because that is where you meet the deepest, truest version of yourself.
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