subject: Solitude And Loneliness-representatives Of The Human Condition [print this page] Solitude and loneliness are two human conditions often confused as being closely related to one another, although they just as often have nothing to do with each other. It is true that solitude-especially a prolonged episode-can lead to loneliness, and many people who are lonely are often solitary in nature. However, solitude can be an entirely unrelated condition to loneliness, and in fact has a number of significant differences with loneliness.
When discussing solitude vs loneliness, it is important to realize that solitude and loneliness differ most significantly with regard to how they come about, and how people get out of them. This often boils down to a matter of choice. People that are lonely often have no control over why they feel the way they do. When loneliness strikes, most people simply can't help but be swept away by the emotion of it all, and they are often helpless to find a way out.
Solitude on the other hand, is often (although not always) the choice of the person. We all have there choice to go into solitude if we wish, just as easily as we can get out of it. Solitude also doesn't necessarily have a negative connotation either, while there is almost nothing ever positive about loneliness. In fact, solitude can be considered quite healthy in that it gives a person time to reflect and regain strength and/or inspiration for future trials ahead.
Out of the wide range of human emotions, loneliness is probably one of the most difficult to pin down. Sadness, anger, happiness, and even disappointment are all relatively easy to define, and even their root causes and effects can often be singled out quite easily. When considering solitude vs loneliness, the apparentness of the reasons behind these conditions tend to differ by a wide margin. Many people who feel lonely often have no clue why they are feeling that way. In fact, many people who suffer from loneliness seemingly have everything they need to be happy and fulfilled. Lonely people also often have no control over how and how long they fell lonely.
The reasons for solitude are often much more clearly defined and apparent. As mentioned previously, people can go into solitude for any number of reasons, with the most common being to get some breathing space, "away from the madding crowd" so to speak. In such scenarios, solitude is not only something that should accepted-it can actually be quite therapeutic and rejuvenating.
Of course there is a considerable degree and frequency of overlap between solitude and loneliness. Solitude can either be the cause of loneliness, or it may be a conscious manifestation of a lonely condition. There is often a vicious cycle at work here, since people who are lonely often find themselves seeking solitude when they would be better served by precisely the opposite action. While a certain amount of solitude is appropriate and even useful, long periods of solitude that is a symptom of loneliness should be addressed as soon as possible.
