A useful summary article on solitude today appears on the freelancer website Quartz titled “How the Mind Changes, Time Expands When There’s No One Else Around.” Besides mention of familiar names like Thoreau and Nietzsche, the article refers to a recent Chinese news item on the solitary resident of a village, and to the part-time hermit Roc Sandford, who lives a portion of the year on a remote Scottish island. Sandford reports of his days of solitude:
“Your senses get heightened, whether you’re reading, writing, looking at the landscape, thinking. It’s a bit of an amplifier. If you’re sad you get much sadder and if you’re happy you get much happier,” adds Sandford. “I suspect you get closer to own mind and personality because you’re not compromising and negotiating with other people.”
URL: http://qz.com/668641/how-the-mind-changes-time-expands-when-theres-no-one-else-around/