Are you guys afraid of Solitude? Why or why not? Is it the world? Or is it Evangelicalism? The world convinces us that busy is good, our mantra even, "I'm so busy." Meaning: look how productive and hard-working and meaningful I am to the world. Evangelicalism, as far as I can tell and have experienced, says, "Spiritual Disiciplines are all well and good as long as they don't get in the way of real spiritual matters (i.e. getting other people into Heaven)." If you like em, take em; if not, make sure you're still preaching the gospel to people (and not like Francis likes it - Lindsey). What do you think? I don't have as much of a sermon/philosophy as usual I'm just curious. Would love to hear what the Bear has to say on this matter; and the Inquisitor, and quills, and Shiggity, and the Veatch... And Lindsey, and Deana... Seriously, I know why it is hard for me: I condemn myself for not being busy, I have largely bought into Evangelicalism - and the scandal therein, I see myself as Jesus often rather than one of his kids, etc. but what about you guys? Are you content in the loneliness of solitude? Does loneliness remind you of your need for the Lord? Can you be in the car without the radio? Do you seek out time to just be quiet (and not asleep)?
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Solitude
Are you guys afraid of Solitude? Why or why not? Is it the world? Or is it Evangelicalism? The world convinces us that busy is good, our mantra even, "I'm so busy." Meaning: look how productive and hard-working and meaningful I am to the world. Evangelicalism, as far as I can tell and have experienced, says, "Spiritual Disiciplines are all well and good as long as they don't get in the way of real spiritual matters (i.e. getting other people into Heaven)." If you like em, take em; if not, make sure you're still preaching the gospel to people (and not like Francis likes it - Lindsey). What do you think? I don't have as much of a sermon/philosophy as usual I'm just curious. Would love to hear what the Bear has to say on this matter; and the Inquisitor, and quills, and Shiggity, and the Veatch... And Lindsey, and Deana... Seriously, I know why it is hard for me: I condemn myself for not being busy, I have largely bought into Evangelicalism - and the scandal therein, I see myself as Jesus often rather than one of his kids, etc. but what about you guys? Are you content in the loneliness of solitude? Does loneliness remind you of your need for the Lord? Can you be in the car without the radio? Do you seek out time to just be quiet (and not asleep)?
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8 comments:
I'm afraid of solitude. Well, I'm afraid of the idea, but once I get alone, the result is usually a good one. But the prospect of analzying my life is frightening...what if I decide I'm failing or that things need to change? It's easier, and weaker, to settle for less.
Doesn't Eldredge say that Busy is the enemy?
I don't think it helps that you are measured by your productiveness in a variety of areas. I know that if I would hate being measured by if I was producing certain results on standardized tests. I'm glad that in my heart I can still measure my success by the relationships I have with kids, colleagues, friends.
I need to seek out more time to be alone. Christ went to the mountain...daily, didn't he?
This is one thing I stopped struggling with the day I became a Christian (it's true). I went from psychotic type A overachiever to a lazy type B person. I've spent the last few years finding the happy medium. I used to HATE. I mean HATE the Christian word "balance"... as if we were monkeys on a tightrope and if we tettered one way or the other we would fall to our doom. But someone said the opposite to me once about how the word balance made her feel safe in the middle knowing she didn't need to go to one extreme or the other.
I am one of those weird people, who 99% of the time doesn't listen to the radio on the way to work or on the way home to my family's house. That is my time, and well, being single affords the great solitude aspects. I also love sitting in airports alone, watching people, listening to my iPod to set the scenes to music. It's great. I am alone a lot.... as evidenced by my tenacity in blog commentary ;)
And I didn't understand the Francis reference.. Schaeffer? or Assisi? And how does he like it?
I think the solitude thing is critical for me and yet it only seems to work in a place where other people are and I can drink a cold beverage of the sweet tea/ Dr. Pepper variety.
My life is harder, much harder without the solitude as evidenced by the rapid pace of life now that I am a home owner and moving and getting a new job. Busy makes me sick.
it is funny to me though. I am better when I have a list. When i do I can look at it and see what needs to get done, but done feel the pressure to do it. Without the list I keep mulling over in my mind what I need to do and go crazy. that is the funniest because my wife hates the lists since she feels guilty when she doesn't complete all tasks in that day.
What a match.
The only francis I could think of was from "Stripes" with Bill Murray.
is that the right francis?
Fabbio the bear
I think solitude is one of the worst experiences. I like background music or sound to everything I do (including singing to myself if I forget my MP3 player on my run). I read a book one time where a man's Hell was being completely alone. I think it would be mine also. Of course, this was his Hell because he found his worth in others, rather than Christ... so I suppose it depends on why a constant sort of "chaos" is needed. Am I defining my worth by others?
I guess I can do solitude if necessary. And actually enjoy complete quiet during my devotion time. I have really taken to heart God's "Be still and know that I am God". It's a work in progress for sure!
Kind of a contradiction in my two paragraphs, but I realized that I am not as terrified of solitude as I imagined.
K, that's all for me.
alicia
p.s I have no idea who any of your references are!
It's funny that you bring this topic up, because I'm in a place now where I'm striving to understand if there is such a thing of a "holy lonliness." There's a definite negative to lonliness, such as depending on others, depending on substances or using others, etc. But I'm not really doing that to the extent that I know. I feel like I'm in a healthy place, a place where I have A LOT of solitude time. I love being alone, and am getting quite good at it. I go to dinner alone, I read and shop and watch movies alone. I don't often listen to music in my car, I often walk away from gatherings because I'd rather think on my own. I find Christ in solitude. But in the advent of moving to a new city, I don't have the constant rush of friends anymore. More and more, my alone time is no longer by choice. I love it, but I'm lonely. Hence my quest for a holy lonliness. I know Christ has me in this time for now, but shouldn't I be content in Christ? Shouldn't I be happy and alive. I'm doing ministry and being creative and thinking and having "quiet times" (a phrase which makes me cringe). I don't think so. I think it's okay to be lonely. I think there's a part of me that God created to be filled by other people, or one of the opposite sex. God could appease that, I suppose, but that's not the point. Is it?
Solitude.........
Well, I enjoy solitude alot, I have always been a terrebly lazy person and never really cared if things got done or not, so really I don't mind not being busy. I guess it could suck after awhile, but I just really enjoy it from time to time.
NO, I'm not mad at you!! Mwa ha ha ha ha...
But look at how many other faithful readers you have now! You don't need me to write as much anymore. And truthfully, sometimes your musings are beyond my anylization skills... which is probably why I write dumb things on your blog, crazy! Sorry about that...
I'm two years late, but I'm bored at work, so I don't care.
You seem to equate loneliness and solitude in this blog. I have never thought of them as the same thing. I have also never really thought of busyness and rest as being total opposites. Now, I can no longer stare at the wall waiting for the end of the day. You made me think.
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