Comments on religious and non-religious solitude

[sidetrack]

I find it interesting how solitude is accepted by people.Some people choose to be alone and have tendancies that can arguably be called isolationist or even have isolation seemingly thrust on them.In the case of monasticism seclusion is practised in both it’s eremetic and cenobitic form.The difference with this one being that the person knows how to carry out there solitude or at the reason for why there doing this.Although I guess you can have isolation seemingly thrust on you and practise monastic style seclusion if you were say raised as an orphaned baby at a monastic community of some sort.:shrug:Maybe they did that in the middle ages and I’m not sure if that’s still done anymore.Any comments?.Thanks for your time.

 

[bmullins]

I dunno. I have never met a monk who was forced to be a monk, only those who have chosen it. There are also different kinds. People who do indeed spend their time isolated in contemplation. Other groups gather together and edify one another, lifting each other up to God. And even a third time who are spend much time in isolation but also much time in charity and corporal works of mercy.

The main point is, in our faith the First commandment is love God with all your heart, mind and soul. That is first and foremost. Love your neighbor is indeed like it, but the first and greatest is always the love of God. People have to live the way God calls them to, some of them are called for contemplative prayer and spend their life in what see as isolation, though they are interceding on all of our behalf, not just their own.

 

[triumphguy]

I find it interesting how solitude is accepted by people.Some people choose to be alone and have tendancies that can arguably be called isolationist or even have isolation seemingly thrust on them.In the case of monasticism seclusion is practised in both it’s eremetic and cenobitic form.The difference with this one being that the person knows how to carry out there solitude or at the reason for why there doing this.Although I guess you can have isolation seemingly thrust on you and practise monastic style seclusion if you were say raised as an orphaned baby at a monastic community of some sort.:shrug:Maybe they did that in the middle ages and I’m not sure if that’s still done anymore.Any comments?.Thanks for your time.

There’s alone and lonely, and there’s alone with The Alone.