In Hermits: Insights of Solitude (1996), Peter France brings to life over 2,000 years of hermit history, from the Desert Fathers, Leonid, Macarius, Ambrose, Ramakrishna, Thoreau, de Foucauld, and Merton to the modern day Robert Lax.
France’s
introduction explains that “many thousands of recluses have lived their
solitary lives and gone to their graves in silence.” His book is about those
who passed on their experiences to visitors, preserved their thoughts in
writing, or gave up solitude to present their views to the world. Hence, interspersed between the narratives is
an intellectual study, a personal collection of quotes from hermits that
explain their reasoning, purpose, philosophies, and daily life.
Typically
society views hermits as anti-social, but hermitage is about living in
loneliness rather of being loners or outcasts. Some live in austere conditions,
some live totally alone, and some live in monastic communities. Some take a
life of hermitage seasonally – either in summer or winter – and some are static
(living in caves) while others are migratory travelers. Some speak often, while
others are infrequent talkers - “to speak little is natural.” The common thread
is that theirs is a contemplative life.
“Paradoxically,
these men and women who fled from human society developed, in their solitude, a
uniquely subtle awareness of human psychology.” Hermitage is therefore not seen
as an escape from life’s problems, for “if you haven’t first conducted yourself
well among men, you won’t conduct yourself well in solitude.” Hence, often
solitude is not a permanent separation from society, but a preparation for
taking an active part in it.
This is an
interesting insight into solitude and aloneness from a philosophical
perspective that entices the reader into their world.
Comments
Post a Comment