Hermits around the web – Hermitary
news, sites, and pages of interest about hermits and solitude
Psychology Today offers a collection of 21 popular essays on the topic of silence: “The Sounds of Silence.” As with popular treatments of complex and nuanced topics, your mileage may vary: A Taxonomy of Silence: What can we learn from silences? by Judith Eve Lipton, M.D. The Art of Silence: How the use of silence …
A recent study by Japan’s National Institute of Population and Social Security Research shows, according to Vox Populi (Asahi Shimbun) that “elderly men who live alone are more prone than their female counterparts to becoming social recluses.” This is not a surprise given the history of reclusion and hikikomori in Japan, which has always been …
Much of the interest in the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI was to compare and contrast his action to that of the only previous pope to resign, Celestine V. The treatment of Celestine was largely overlooked by the popular media, and, doubtless, the faithful. (See Hermitary article: http://www.hermitary.com/articles/celestine.html) A recent Discovery news item relates that, …
A TDN.com news item titled “Galovin finds peace in trading society for solitude” on a homeless man in Washington State is representative of the potential of homeless people to consciously craft a life of dignity in its simplicity and solitude. The examples of Tom Boyle and Daniel Suelo are pertinent, as is the history of …
In “Life Lessons from Modern Day Hermits,” a Telegraph article by Adam Lusher, the writer discusses his encounters three contemporary hermits: Shropshire hermit, Stafford Whiteaker, editor of The Good Retreat Guide, who lives as a solitary religious in a tiny cottage; an unnamed New York City woman whose reclusion includes delivered groceries and anonymous advice; …