Dear reader
Do you believe in mermaids? :) Not to worry. I'll put a fish tail on both of us ;)
Who knows if mermaids exist? I would love to believe it. It is important to remember that just as the world above the water is infinitely expansive with its skyscrapers, boulevards, aeroplanes and space stations, so too is the world beneath the water. The inner world is just as infinite as the outer one.
You might know someone in your life who you call "deeeeeep". Quite often, but not always, they are walking alone. You see them in the parks sitting under a tree reading a book. You see them at school with their heads elsewhere. These are the people who yawn when you talk gossip, and want to kiss you when you talk about philosophy, spirituality and personal development.
I guess I would call myself a hermit. A hippy, an introvert, a donkey. Whatever you want to call me :). The point is not in the label but in the feeling. Being alone helps us to escape reality. The question is why would we want to escape?
The world is dragging us around, shouting down our ears, and posting advertisements through our door. Generally it is a very noisy place that demands all of our energy and senses for us to survive it. Culture demands that we change ourselves and act in a certain way to fit in. Hermits just want to breath. "Relaaaaax maaaaaan". Sometimes we need a break, and the hermit adores silence.
The hermit is not a people-hater per se, haha. He simply enjoys the freedom of peace of mind. Often people use the word "loner" as if it's a disease. Our culture tells us that being social is your strength, and this is in part is true. Yet being lonely is nothing to do with having a lack of friends. Being lonely is having a hole in your heart and not knowing what will fit it. That is why the lonely become addicts; because at least temporarily, the hole is filled.
The hermit seeks what is missing in himself, and fills in the rest. He walks in the gardens of his imagination. His world is the world we cannot see. It is the world of thoughts, emotions, and intuition. He realizes that everything he needs to survive breaths in himself. He knows his passions, his gifts and talents. Like diving into the ocean, the hermit can dive deep within himself.
If already this is too "deep" for you, then buy some scuba gear ;). The hermit steps back from the chaos of the world, and more importantly, examines the chaos in himself. We need to do this. Like the doctors who only give you the cure to the problem, without telling you what causes it, how can we improve ourselves, without looking within? It is not a matter of learning new things on top of rotting foundations. Sometimes in order to improve, it is not learning or gaining, but forgetting and losing.
Of course there also has to be a balance. We are social creatures. While it is great to be present in the moment, we cannot get lost in the presence of eating an apple, while there are millions starving for food. It is the balance of inner wisdom, and outer action that can change the world for the better.
Being alone is never really alone. The people we love the most never really leave us. They exist within, even if we cannot see them in front of us. My family whom I miss every day are only a feeling and memory away. Separation is only an illusion. The hermit reminds us all that there is a paradise within ourselves just waiting to be found. Try meditation: food for thought.
Until next time :)
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