Isolation: How perspective is everything.
The clock ticks to 8 pm, 1.3 billion set of eyes glued to their T.V. screens desperately waiting for the announcement.
Lockdown has been extended until further notice by the Prime Minister flashes on the screen.
Now there are two ways to assess this situation. One, is our instinctive reaction, which is to crib about how this lockdown is ruining our lives and how 2020 is a cursed year. However, the alternative is to accept the situation knowing that there is little we can do to change it and make the best possible use of the time at our disposal.
The entire social media meme culture has made jokes about collective suffering so relatable that is has become a binding force among us young people, and I find it extremely intriguing how our baseline emotions and responses to a certain macro stimulus (the pandemic in this case) is the same!!
Anyway, this current scenario has got me thinking about how we, as a collective, are petrified of isolation for some reason. As far as I understand isolation can be perceived in two polar opposite ways,
- An opportunity to cherish solitude
- To be a victim of a self inflicted loneliness.
Extrinsically, solitude and loneliness may look similar (and are often used interchangeably) but the resemblance ends at the surface.
While loneliness is generally associated with helplessness, solitude is a state of being where we choose to intentionally withdraw from human relationships for some time. Choice being the core differentiating factor.
How often have you felt anxious and alone although your phone tells you otherwise, as it buzzes with over a dozen notifications from your “friends” over three different apps?
Our inherent desire to be surrounded by people and the constant need for validation unknowingly manifests itself into a version of loneliness.
Most of us, since our childhood have been taught to build, nurture and maintain meaningful relationships with different interest groups in social situations, but rarely are we taught to create a healthy relationship with ourselves and recognize patterns in our behaviors.
Being constantly surrounded by people makes us an object to their perception of us, until we start believing it like it is the gospel truth, and start seeing ourselves through their lens.
“If you’re lonely when you’re alone, you’re in bad company.”
I heard this quote by Jean-Paul Sartre when I was in school and it has stayed with me since then. It has been a constant reminder of how much my interactions with myself matter and how much my inner dialogue affects the person I’m becoming.
From my experience, solitude has always played the perfect backdrop for me to process my emotions and to objectively observe my thought process. It feels like a journey where I’m discovering sweet nothings about myself.
Also I’ve noticed that the main reason we despise being alone is because there’s always some little thing that we are trying to avoid confrontation with, and under the pretext of “not having enough time” we never address that issue.
It could be a repressed thought, unkept promises, an uneasy/distant relationship with a family member, some physical/emotional insecurity or maybe just some chores you’ve been avoiding.
This lockdown period has blown away that excuse for good and it is forcing us to reflect on those issues which we would have been comfortable avoiding, had our lives been continuing the way it were, before the pandemic began.
Having said that, overdoing anything has its own repercussions and isolation is no exception.
“Solitude is fine but you need someone to tell, that solitude is fine.” so striking a balance between both ends is the key here
So how about we change it up a bit, go back to the basics, and look at this situation as an amazing opportunity to rediscover ourselves, and develop an ability to enjoy and find comfort in our own company?
Coming from this girl who is desperately trying, fumbling, and falling while walking the tightrope of positivity, I know it does seem a bit hypocritical on my part , but hey let’s be honest how often do we practice what we preach.
