In Reply to: Does it have to be either solitude or congregation? posted by Thinker on February 06, 2007 at 09:32:34:
Your first question is a rhetorical one & you answered it yourself & I must agree, but then I already tried to insinuate with my previous post, that probably there are not too many, if any, who manage to stay in solitude...you can think of some?
Today I heard on the radio a bookreport, and the book covers Mongolia & it said, that in Mogolia - as few people comparatively - with the enormous area - live in Mongolia, you hardly remain alone, even if you seek to, cause always someone shows up , wanting to know, where you're from & what you have to "offer" & what you're looking etc...
I don't know whether that is completely true or not, but I found it worth mentioning.
And even if you always seem to be on the run from people, you can choose to not talk...obviously...if someone really wants that much solitude...that could be "a way out".
You can check up these links of these very amazing historic figures, who I had the pleasure to read about, one while still in TF (Simeon)...the other a bit afterwards...they couldn't remain in solitude, because people were eager to meet them!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simeon_Stylites
http://www.bruderklaus.com/?id=209