SOLITUDE AND COMMUNITY
(A Passage from the book A HIDDEN WHOLENESS)

We have much to learn from within, but it is easy to get lost in the labyrinth of the inner life. We have much to learn from others, but it is easy to get lost in the confusion of the crowd. So we need solitude and community simultaneously: what we learn in one mode can check and balance what we learn in the other. Together, they make us whole, like breathing in and breathing out.

But exactly how solitude and community go together turns out to be trickier than breathing. When we say we are in solitude, we often bring other people with us: think of how often our solitude is interrupted by an interior conversation with someone who is not there! When we say we are in community, we often lose track of true self: think of how easily we can forget who we are when we get entangled in group dynamics.

If we are to hold solitude and community together as a true paradox, we need to deepen our understanding of both poles. Solitude does not necessarily mean living apart from others; rather, it means never living apart from one’s self. It is not about the absence of other people; it is about being fully present to ourselves, whether or not we are with others. Community does not necessarily mean living face–to–face with others: rather, it means never losing the awareness that we are connected to each other. It is not about the presence of other people; it is about being fully open to the reality of relationship, whether or not we are alone. When we understand solitude and community in these ways, we also understand what it means to create a circle of trust; a space between us that is hospitable to the soul, a community of solitude where we can be alone together.

Parker Palmer


Peace to You and Yours with Love
Jerry