Being With Jesus: Solitude and Silence Part 2နမူနာ

Loneliness Epidemic: Is Solitude Still Relevant Today?

Loneliness is the epidemic of our day.

Many today lack regular quality connections with other people. Others feel empty and alone even in a crowded room, desperate to be known on a soul level by just one other person.

So, what has caused the recent spike in loneliness? Truth be told, it's not a one-size-fits-all answer. But some contributing factors are a dramatic shift in our pace of life, how often we change jobs, and technology that has profoundly changed how we interact with others.

Many brilliant thinkers of our day are spending countless hours trying to come up with a solution to the loneliness epidemic, offering up many wonderful ideas designed to facilitate multi-generational community. Creating policies and programs that foster an increase in face-to-face connection is a welcome change in the fight against loneliness.

But will an increase in community alone bring healing to so many who are suffering? With so many already painfully alone (many who know and love Jesus but still feel the sting of loneliness), is the practice of solitude still relevant today?

As apprentices of Jesus, what do we do with His example of regularly practicing community and solitude? Again and again, throughout the Gospels, Jesus would engage in community, teaching the people about the Kingdom of Heaven and healing the sick, only to regularly "withdraw to deserted places to pray" to His Father. (See Luke 5:12-16)

Additionally, apprentices of Jesus down through the ages have testified in both word and deed about the importance of both community and solitude. Near the end of his life, Henri Nouwen wrote, "All human beings are alone. No other person will completely feel like we do, think like we do, act like we do. Each of us is unique, and our aloneness is the other side of our uniqueness. The question is whether we will let our aloneness become loneliness or whether we will allow it to lead us into solitude. Loneliness is painful; solitude is peaceful. Loneliness makes us cling to others in desperation; solitude allows us to respect others in their uniqueness and create community."

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a man who gave up his life for the Gospel, offers the following warning to those who might question the relevance of Jesus' rhythm of community and solitude. "Let him who cannot be alone beware of community... Let him who is not in community beware of being alone."

For those engaged in community but who find themselves terrified of the idea of regularly going into solitude, Jesus is calling you into the quiet place. He invites you to come away with Him, to get lost in His presence.

And for those who know the joy of meeting Jesus in the quiet place but have given up hope on finding a community of His followers to do life with, Jesus is calling you back to His Church - the beautiful mess that it is - so that you might experience the uniqueness of your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

As counterintuitive as it may sound, today, more than ever, both community and solitude are vital in our pursuit of becoming more like Jesus.