A thousand hills, but no birds in flight,
Ten thousand paths, with no person's tracks.
A lonely boat, a straw-hatted old man,
Fishing alone in the cold river snow.
- Liu Zongyuan ‘River
Snow’
Sometimes we may feel alone, like we are the only person in the
world. Maybe we walk through a forest, seeing nary a sign of life on a cold
winter day. Other times we may feel the loneliest when we are in a city of
millions. Thoreau wrote of the value and enjoyment of solitude. In a neurotic
world where we feel we have to be connected at all times, solitude can be the
great tranquilizer.
