Life in Solitude

[bobsavegan]

The Self is associated with thought and is concerned with life in solitude.

The Self is a solitary and contemplative, the Self needs time by oneself in solitude in order to reflect on the eternal verities. The Self cannot be distracted from deep thought.

Thought is the function of the mind. Mind sets the Human apart from every other form of life in nature. The mind is the cause of the Human being considered a special creature and ruler of nature.

[But]

[davidm]

Bob, other species have minds, and are plenty smart.

Humans are not special. We are not the rulers of nature.

The earth has been around 4.6 billion years. If you condensed the entire history of the earth into a single year, starting on Jan. 1 and ending on Dec. 31, modern humans made their first appearance on earth at about one second to midnight on Dec. 31. The earth did quite well without us for all that vast time before we fortuitously arrived on the scene to fuck everything up, and thanks to climate change, we may make an early exit. Ninety-nine percent of all species that ever existed have gone extinct, and we will, too.

[naturalist.atheist]

Originally Posted by bobsavegan

I associate with thought and am concerned by my life of solitude.

I am solitary and contemplative, I need time by myself in solitude in order to reflect on the eternal verities. I cannot be distracted from deep thought.

Thought is the function of my mind. My Mind sets me apart from every other life form. My mind is why I considered myself special creature and ruler of nature.

Bob, you keep repeating the same self absorbed, self aggrandizing tripe.

[bobsavegan]

Here's the new, revised version of the Self's Life in Solitude...

The Self is associated with thought and is concerned with the contemplative life.

The Self needs time by oneself in solitude in order to contemplate the eternal truths. The Self cannot be distracted from deep thought.

Thought is the function of the mind. Mind sets the Human apart from every other form of life in the natural order. The mind is the reason the Human thinks itself to be a superior creature and ruler of the natural order.

Genesis 1:28: “God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth‘” (NRSV).

The contemplative life is generally associated with nuns in cloisters and monks in monasteries. One example of a monk that I am aware of and have read, is Thomas Merton. I have read his books "Thoughts in Solitude" and "Seven Story Mountain." I am not aware of any lay people who were contemplatives and wrote books

[maddog]

Michel de Montaigne
Marcus Aurelius
Aristotle
Blaise Pascal
Nietzsche
Thoreau
Sartre
and that's just off the top of my head.

#2993

[bobsavegan]

Originally Posted by maddog

Michel de Montaigne
Marcus Aurelius
Aristotle
Blaise Pascal
Nietzsche
Thoreau
Sartre
and that's just off the top of my head.

#2993

Thanks. that is a nice list. I have read something by all of them. Montaigne, however, is the only one I would think of as a contemplative in his later years when he retired to his estate and wrote. That is where I am for the past 2 years, except I don't have a estate.

Marcus Aurelius was a king and stoic who persecuted Christians.

Aristotle was the founder of the Peripatetic school and teacher of many students who took notes which we have today as Aristotle's writings. Aristotle himself didn't write anything which I know of.

Pascal was very religious and wrote Christian apologetics. I don't know anything about his own life.

Nietzsche was more an individualist and closely connected to his family and Wagner. He did a lot of traveling.

Thoreau also was more an individualist and nature lover. He was closely connected to his mother. He did more or less recluse himself for some time at Walden Pond.

Sartre was a college professor and political activist. He had a long term relationship with Simone de Beauvoir to whom he proposed 3 times but was refused 3 times.